


Waving Through A Window

by 1bad_joke



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Anal Sex, Bottom Jensen Ackles, Bottoming from the Top, M/M, Minor Violence, Nerd!Jared, Oral Sex, Pining, Teen Romance, Underage Drinking, cheerleader!Jensen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-05-30 19:11:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 63,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19409605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1bad_joke/pseuds/1bad_joke
Summary: Jared Padalecki wasn't popular, nor was he notable enough to be on any bully's radar. He was simply unremarkable.Surviving to his junior year at James Madison High, he was just... nobody. He was content with being on the outside always looking in, because that's all he's ever known. He had his best friend, Chad, and an undying love for star cheerleader, Jensen Ackles. That was enough for him, because he didn't dare want for anything more. One day, everything changes into what had to be a fever dream.Almost too good to be true.





	1. Chapter 1

Jensen was flirting again.

Jared, being the self-proclaimed expert that he was, knew this because Jensen Ackles had a way of looking like he was twirling a strand of his short, dirty blond hair and shyly grinding his toe into the ground -a twinkle in his eyes and a teasing smile- without physically doing any of those things and not looking completely ridiculous. He always looked ridiculously perfect to be honest.

The only real problem was Jared wasn't the one Jensen was flirting with. Jared was on the other side of the gymnasium, not paying attention to his surroundings, too absorbed in the inches of thigh bared by Jensen's blessedly too-short-for-gym regulation uniform and trying not to outright drool.

Without warning, his face was unexpectedly in a world of pain as his view of pale, bowlegged heaven was obscured by a red meteor.

It had to be by the grace of God that kept him on his feet and not knocked flat on the floor as his rubber assailant bounced innocuously away. But God could only reach so far. All across the gym, the chaotic swarm of balls halted in awful unison. His muscles went tight. The hands cupping his nose slid a fraction higher to shield his wet eyes. He knew what was coming.

Laughter exploded all around him. Even Chad's donkey guffaw -because he was an asshole like that- could be discerned. Cutting through his classmates' hilarity came Coach Beaver's booming voice adding literal insult to injury.

“Padaleski! You either dodge or catch the ball with your hands, not your face! Now pay attention!”

The hot sting fading into a more manageable throb, Jared shot a shaky thumbs up, and because apparently he was a masochist, his wet eyes went like a magnet to the reason for his distraction and his shoulders drew up another inch tighter to his ears.

Jensen Ackles was one of those laughing faces, and Jesus did he look beautiful with his eyes sparkling in amusement.

Luckily before the blood rushing to Jared's stupid face could cause it to boil clean off, the bell rang, making everyone forget his violent kiss with a rubber ball in favor of stampeding to the locker rooms. Jared merely stood frozen amongst the flood of bodies jostling past and averted his gaze as soon as Jensen was within a ten foot radius of him.

“Dude!” A hand slapped down onto his pinched shoulders. His supposedly best friend's cackling face came into view. “Dude, that was fucking epic! I wish I had my phone.”

“Shuddup.” His voice sounded off and stuffed up to his ears, reminding Jared of his possibly broken nose which would be just fantastic. As if his nose didn't already look weird enough. Stupid, pointy ski slope.

“How bad is it?” His shielding hands cracked open to allow Chad to peak in and assess the damage, after Chad was done thumbing away a tear of mirth of course. The jerk.

Chad's normally squinted eyes widened as his smile gave way to a growing look of horror.

“What? What is it?” Panic quickly overtook his mortification. “Is it broken? It's bad. It looks bad, right?”

“It's-- it's--”

“What?!”

“Your face,” Chad heaved, relaxing with a shit-eating grin and barely ducking out of the way of Jared's long reaching smack.

“Asshole.” Jared turned away and headed towards the locker room, praying it'd be mostly empty by now so he could check for himself. The squeak of sneakers and a bony elbow to the ribs reminded him it wasn't easy to be rid of Chad; not that Jared would ever truly want to be. Chad was his best friend. Well, his only friend really.

“Hey, it's not my fault you were too busy staring at Ackles' ass to notice the ball flying at your face.”

Instead of blustering in denial, Jared deflated and surreptitiously glanced around the empty gym. “Okay, but did you see how perfect those shorts looked on him? Do you think he rolls them up on purpose or is it divine intervention?”

“Okay, A) The only asses I look at are of the female variety, and two) All the cheerleaders do that. It's like a glorious cult phenomenon, even though sadly some of the dudes do it, too.”

“You won't hear me complaining,” Jared sighed dreamily, wondering just what the star cheerleader was wearing under those lovely short shorts.

“Anyway...” Chad shuddered. “Does it hurt bad?”

All it took to pull Jared out of his self-induced Jensen coma was remembering his gorgeous, laughing face in a sea of laughing faces and his head plummeted from the clouds along with his stomach. He sniffed, cautiously rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“S'fine... How is dodge ball even still a thing?”

“Beaver's a fossil, and it paves the way for funny as hell moments like your--”

“Yeah, funny... and speaking of that.” Jared halted his already slow journey to the locker room where the sounds of movement and shouts could still be heard. He hadn't realized until he'd stopped moving that he was shaking. All of those eyes on him... “You go ahead without me. I'm gonna wait a little longer to avoid them...” He gestured weakly.

In a rare moment by Chad standards, a look of understanding crossed his friend’s face and he shrugged. “I'm in no rush. I'll wait with you. Can't really be late to lunch after all.”

Like a small break in the clouds of his anxiety, Jared's shoulders eased and he felt the tiniest bit better.

So sometimes Chad wasn't a total douche despite his best efforts. Sometimes Chad was actually a decent guy. That's what tricked Jared into being his friend in the first place all those years ago in the fifth grade.

Regardless of Jared having grown up with the same group of classmates since Pre-K, he was not -shocker- a well known, much less, well liked kid. Always drifting quietly in the periphery of class-room parties and playground jungle gyms, he was content in the understanding that some people belonged in the spotlight as naturally as breathing while others, like himself, were better off as scenery. You couldn't really screw up if you were just Tree #4, right? Things flowed smoother that way in any case. Jared knew this, but his tenuous attachment to it all was never felt more keenly than at recess.

One day he had been tightrope walking along the perimeter of the invisible dome he considered surrounded the kids laughing and chasing each other, periodically glancing around him so he wouldn't inadvertently get in anyone's way when his path was blocked by the new kid, who was isolated by his newness. After breaking his personal record of eye contact with the new kid's squinted eyes and Jared's own deer-in-headlights gaze, the kid pointed a scrawny arm at a small copse of trees.

“You look like you won't blab. I smuggled in my Game Boy. Wanna play?”

Stunned, Jared merely nodded and followed the boy. It had been the strangest but most fun recess Jared ever had and the rest, as Chad would say, was history. It was just that simple.

“Well, I don't wanna be that late,” Chad of present day hedged. “It is pizza day after all. You done being a bitch, because I'm hungry.”

“Sure, yeah, let's go.”

Yep, Chad had stuck with him (for whatever reason) even when the intimidating novelty of the new kid had worn off and he started getting invites to birthday parties and to join in on games of kick ball. Their fellow classmates had to make peace with the fact that Chad would forever insist upon dragging along the too tall, too skinny, too quiet kid, even though Jared insisted it really wasn't necessary. The only time Jared had ever panicked that he was going to lose his only friend was at fourteen when he realized he was also the too gay kid. Advanced times or not, it was still Texas after all. But Chad had simply clapped a teary-eyed Jared on the back and in a puberty-crackling voice declared, “All the more pussy for me then.”

Not that gay would be much of an issue, because that same year Jensen Ackles moved to town and any male with functioning eyes turned out to be at least a little gay for the new boy.

In a town where new faces were few and far between, all heads turned when a lithe, doe-eyed boy with tousled blond hair and pillowy lips walked through the front doors of James Madison High. Instead of cowering like Jared would have, that gorgeous boy seemed to preen under the attention, and once word got out that those bow-legs could fall into a split and that mouth could still look utterly fuckable while shouting hokey cheers, Jensen Ackles was on the squad.

Even before the day Jensen received his uniform and all the praise and notoriety that came with it, Jared was convinced he -along with a vast sea of sad saps- would forever hopelessly be enamored with The Jensen Ackles (because Jared's dream boy was a once in a millennium marvel and deserved a title). It was a name that would become more popular as hormones raged, and Jensen defied nature by becoming more and more stunning with each passing year. By their Junior year, he was rumored to have an ass responsible for many heartbreaks by those lucky enough to be allowed close to it.

Jared died a little with each new name gossiped to be added to that list.

“Dude!” He flinched at a greasy, balled up napkin bouncing off his achy nose, which upon inspection in the locker room resembled a nasty sunburn. Why was everything getting thrown at his face today?

“What?” he snapped, turning his attention back to the untouched slice of pepperoni pizza congealing in front of him. The everyday cacophony in the cafeteria clogged his ears.

“You gonna eat that?”

His head had barely begun shaking before Chad snatched Jared's plate from under his nose and stuffed the entire slice into his mouth, adding to the shower of crumbs on the table. “Huh?” He paused at Jared's disgusted look long enough to show off the masticated food on his tongue.

A book bag knocked hard into his shoulder from behind and without an expectation of an apology, Jared hunched down further into his seat. “Nothing. Enjoy.” He had to study for AP Calc anyway... except his attention kept drifting across the room.

Eventually a burp announced the end of Chad's feasting and he stretched his arms wide, effectively forcing Jared's gaze back down to his equations.

“So, I've been thinking about joining a club.”

_Here we go..._

Jared hummed in question down at his derivatives. “Which one?”

Like clockwork, his friend shrugged and started fiddling with his nearly empty bottle of Mountain Dew. “Don't know. Probably whichever one has the most chicks, I suppose.”

Another stealthy look across the room. “Cheer squad?”

“Ha. Ha. You wish you could see this ass in spanks.” That visual alone had Jared gagging then choking on a bark of laughter when a speculative gleam entered those squinted eyes. “... then again I could be lifting up Sophia Bush and sneaking a peak at _her_ spanks...”

“Chad, no.”

“That would be a serious _In_.”

“In? Into what?”

A deadpan stare.

“Chad, gross--”

“That world!” Chad exclaimed, gesturing behind himself with his bottle, Jared's gaze following to its usual destination. “The It crowd! Popularity, man!”

Jared could only blink.

“Aww, don't do the puppy head tilt thing. You know what I mean.” The bottle stabbed towards him, its neon contents sloshing at him threateningly. “Be serious, don't you ever wonder what it would be like?”

No, Jared very much did not wonder about it. The stares and constant attention and scrutiny---

Just the thought of all that alone was enough to make a cold sweat break out in his arm pits and down to the small of his back. How could anyone want that? Chad was insane.

“No,” Jared huffed and pushed the bottle away from his face. “Unlike some people I know, I choose to live in a little place I like to call, Reality.”

“Oh, is this the same reality where your epic love for Mr. Homecoming King over there makes any sort of sense?”

Alarmed, Jared pointedly glanced down their occupied lunch table.

“No one's listening, relax,” Chad assured with a bored wave. Which was probably true seeing as he and Jared were at the ass-end of a table full of people who actually seemed to interact and know each other's names. The pair of friends went relatively unnoticed.

But still, “Shut up, Chad.”

000

“So, are like you and Weatherly a thing now?”

Jensen nearly choked on his sip of water. “Gross, no!” he coughed, shooting a look filled with all the horror and nausea that suggestion conjured at Sophia.

“Oh please, like you weren't totally all over him in gym today,” Katie cut in, looking even more disgusted by the prospect. It was a widely known fact that Katie Cassidy and Michael Weatherly had hooked up on Halloween and hadn't done so since, but she made it abundantly clear -all but pissing on him- that the doofy jock was hers.

“I was not 'all over him.' I was using him to block the balls flying at me. Dodge ball is barbaric.” He shrugged, taking a delicate bite of his baby carrot. It was all too easy, just a couple bats of his lashes and token laughs at his and Stephen Amell's lame jokes and Jensen didn't have to break a sweat, at least until practice after school.

Katie sat back eying him, unconvinced, but what else was she going to do? Pick a fight with the guy who made sure she didn't break her neck after being flung in the air? Not that Jensen would ever purposefully drop someone. He was a professional, damn it.

Luckily, Genevieve's groan two seats down disrupted any more talk of idiot boys and which ones they were allowed to talk to. “Ugh, seriously? Dodge ball? I'm going to copy you, Jensen, and see if I can get Tom to protect me.”

“Or you can use The Excuse,” Sophia suggested more to her salad; her interest seemingly gone now that the possibility of a cat fight had passed.

Genevieve sighed. “Can't. Used it last week for rope climbing. Even if it does skeeve out Beaver, I don't think he'll believe I have my period two weeks in a row.”

“Just use Tom.” A sly grin pulled at Jensen's lips. “At lease in stature, he's big enough.”

A chorus of scandalized squeals erupted at their table, turning some of the heads of the Varsity players seated nearby.

“Oh my God! When?! How?!” Sophia bounced in her seat, interest recaptured.

“Yeah, how? I thought he was a saving himself for marriage, promise ring, all-American boy? Why would he give it up to you?” That suspicious glint had yet to leave Katie's cold blue stare.

Embodying the cat that literally got the cream, Jensen winked and made a show of shifting in his seat. “Platinum ass, Miss Cassidy, no man can resist it. It's a shame I have to sit on it really.”

“Bullsh--”

“Okay, I'm going to need the full story, complete with graphic details and a How-to guide on breaking down Thomas Welling.” Sophia leaned in close, all too intent on learning about Jensen's clandestine affair with a good Christian boy hopped up on post adrenaline victory in the showers. She was almost as bad as Jensen, going through boys like tissues and, with such a small dating pool, there was bound to be some overlap. Popularity was quite incestuous.

“Wait, wait, wait, first things first.” Genevieve lurched closer and dropped her voice low. “... how big?”

With an over dramatic wince, Jensen lifted his hand and flashed his pinky. Their table again erupted with squeals but this time mixed with sobs and outraged denial. Heads turned none-to-discretely toward said boy in question, oblivious to the world as he intently read the book in front of him.

_Probably a bible_ , Jensen assumed with a roll of his eyes.

“That can't be!”

“But- but he's so tall!”

“I know, surprised me, too.” Jensen pouted in sympathy. They didn't need to know that Tom, in spite of his height, was perfectly average. But after his Big Gay Freak Out of _Please don't tell anyone, Tell anyone and I'll kill you, God can fix this maybe he can fix you, too_ before the afterglow had even set in, Jensen had a right to be a touch sensitive and bitter.

He was a God damn catch.

It was just sex after all. It didn't matter, not really.

Up until this point their cheer captain had remained eerily silent, content to sit back and listen to the gossip and petty squabbles. Always watching and assessing. Maybe that's why she'd been given the position unanimously, out of respect or fear or a mixture of the two. Danneel Harris was a force not to be trifled with. Once she graduated at the end of this year, Jensen was going to be Head Bitch in Charge, come hell or high water. So when Danneel crooned his name, he knew it wasn't going to be anything good.

“Jensen... the sasquatch over there keeps looking at you.”

As the other girls giggled around him, Jensen stared unflinchingly back at her wickedly beautiful face, aloof. “Am I supposed to know or care who that is?”

“Isn't that the dweeb that got beamed in the face last period?” Nose wrinkled, Katie gazed over his shoulder. No way was he going to look though. Looking implied interest, which to a shark like Danneel, was a drop of blood in the water; and besides, someone looking at him was nothing new.

As his one creepy uncle put it starting when he was seven years old, Jensen knew he was a “pretty boy.”

Apparently the combination of a degrading name and the mention of violence was enough to draw some of the jocks into the conversation. While Mike Weatherly reenacted the scene to everyone's amusement, Jensen kept an eye on their cheer captain, her smile growing, somehow sharpening even more when she turned back to Jensen's shallow grin.

It was funny, but not that funny.

What was the point in her pointing the poor guy out?

“Ladies,” she started, beauty pageant composed, her predatory black eyes pinning Jensen in his seat. “I believe it's time we start discussing this year's charity project.”

His stomach dropped.

000

Jared was never the type to count down the seconds to the end of a school day, never one to lunge out of his seat and race out the door, especially on a Friday. He never had anywhere special to be, so he was content to wait as everyone shoved and trampled each other on their way out. His long legs would eat up the lost time to his locker anyway. As loud discussions of weekend plans went on around him, he thought about tackling his mountain of homework and maybe inviting Chad over to play Smash Bros.

Just another typical start to another uneventful weekend.

That was, until he turned from closing his locker and his world went all cinematic glow and soft Pearl Jam music.

Head thrown back mid-laugh, baring a long pale throat, Jensen Ackles floated down the hall accompanied by his usual entourage of admirers. Jared paid none of them any mind, too rooted in his spot by this unexpected appearance. Jensen never came this way. Green eyes fell on him like a guillotine, severing all feeling for long seconds and leaving him hyper aware of a world moving in slow motion. Jensen's laughing mouth eased into a tight-lipped grin.

“Hi,” his full lips soundlessly formed.

Jared stood there stunned into the likeness of petrified wood. _Did he just--? What?_

The moment was gone as quickly as it came and Jensen passed by, attention turned to whatever soul was lucky enough to snatch it. And just like that, reality sped up back to its normal speed, leaving Jared dazed and untethered to his surroundings.

The insistent flow of bodies carried him away like debris towards the exit where his feet carried him home on auto pilot, through his front door, and up the stairs to his room. His trance-like state kept him unaware of his younger sister's whining and his mother's calls to take out the trash. He closed himself up in his room and had to lay down for a good ninety minutes until his brain was no longer a pile of gibbering mush.

Once functioning thoughts eventually stopped buffering, he sat up straight in bed.

_Oh crap-- Oh fuck--_ He didn't even respond. He probably had some moronic, guppy fish look on his stupid face.

God, when Chad heard about this, he'd say--

“You're an idiot.”

Exactly as Jared had guessed minus the handful of grass flung at his face that he should have seen coming if he was going to recount the incident under the big tree in his back yard. “You should have dropped a smooth pick up line, dude. You'd finally be getting laid in no time.”

Like it was all that simple.

“You do know who I'm talking about, right? Jensen Ackles. _The_ Jensen Ackles and I'm... me. Then again who knows if he was even talking to me.” That doubt had crept in last night and made what little sleep he'd gotten miserable. “Maybe I hallucinated the whole thing. I could have been stroking out. Now that I think about it, I maybe recall smelling burnt toast. That's a symptom, right? You know what, he was probably talking to Tom Welling. His locker is only a few down from mine.”

Which wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened. There'd been too many instances in elementary school when Jared had foolishly waved back to people when they were signaling someone behind his eclipsing frame, one memorable occurrence ending with a stink face and the middle finger. He'd learned his lesson since then.

“Whoa, Jare, take a breath.” Chad breathed in deeply as an example. “I'm sure Ackles meant you. The guy's gayer than a unicorn with the pride flag as its horn, and you've shot up ten more feet this summer. And you know what they say about big feet, big--”

“Okay, Chad, thank you, I've heard the saying... I'm being serious though.”

The sunlight peeking through the leaves stung his tired eyes, a self-induced punishment for his teenage bullshit. How pathetic was he, tying himself in knots over a two-second moment that for Jensen was a nice, passing hello he most likely had forgotten but for Jared meant everything?

A heavy sigh uncharacteristic of his best friend sounded as more blades of grass were cruelly ripped from the earth. Jared's dad would freak if he saw his precious yard being treated this way, because _“A lawn is a symbol of pride, son.”_

“I dunno what you want me to tell you. You've had cartoon heart eyes for the guy since he moved here and nothing has come of it. So maybe he acknowledged you, so what? I'd forget about it if I were you and focus your energy on someone a bit more... attainable? What about that Travis Whasthisface in Jazz band? He plays for your team, right? What about him?”

Jared knew which Travis Chad was referring to: Short, quiet with a frightened animal look in his eyes, and tragically in love with his own best friend, a blond trumpet player who was too absorbed with growing a beard to notice. Jared could recognize a fellow lovelorn fool, but even if his friend was straight, Travis still had a better chance than Jared did.

Jared huffed a small, dry laugh. He ducked his head to hide his brittle grin. “You're right. I'm just being an idiot. Thanks for indulging my crap.”

“You can thank me by feeding me. I'm fucking starving.”

At the mention of food, his own stomach rumbled and together they headed inside to raid the fridge. He tried to put all thoughts of a gorgeous, unattainable boy out of his mind and tried to enjoy the rest of his weekend.

“Tried to” was the operative term.

000

Monday came painstakingly slow with bloodshot eyes and a resigned acceptance that Jared's innocent fixation on a certain male cheerleader had hit hallucination levels. Although there were worse things his brain could have conjured up. As long as he wasn't seeing killer clowns or maggots pouring out of people's mouths, fleeting hyper realistic daydreams were fine by him. Sad, but fine.

Except it appeared to be an isolated incident.

The entire day was painfully normal, the strangest thing being the horny couple that usually made out in front of his locker after third period were thankfully absent. English, a subject he usually enjoyed, became pure torture when Ms. Rhodes assigned a group project, and no, the groups were not assigned. So, after two awful minutes where everyone scrambled into their groups, chairs screeching and dragged desks rattling across the floor into small clusters, Jared slumped further in his seat waiting for the inevitable.

“Who doesn't have a group?” Standing at the front of the room, Ms. Rhodes scanned the room and easily singled out the stragglers. “Let's see... Kathryn... Brianna, Chris, and...”

The grip on his pencil tightened. God, he should be used to this by now, but he hated it each and every time.

“Jarret. There, wonderful. I'll give you all the rest of the hour to get a jump start on your Shakespearean skits--”

Did he mention that the project wasn't just public speaking but also involved acting? It was Shakespeare as the arsenic-soaked cherry on top.

A premeditated case of mono just waiting to happen so he could be out sick on the day of performances.

“Jarret, would you go join your group now?”

Jared grimaced as he slowly gathered his belongings, peaking through the curtain of his hair to see to his dismay that there were still at least forty minutes left of class.

Yeah, Jared could do with another hallucination right about now.

000

It took Jared an hour to realize his biggest mistake that day was getting out of bed.

Up until that shared period of “Physical Education,” Jared hadn't seen Jensen Ackles. Not that Jared was purposefully looking for him or anything; Chad was right, guys like Jared weren't even a blip on the radar of perfect creatures like Jensen. He had to stop being such a creep.

Putting thought to action turned out to be much more difficult than anticipated when he happened to glimpse a naked shoulder blade through the sea of other dressing bodies and he couldn't help the surge of heat rushing to his groin.

_Quit being a perv, Padalecki_.

In his freshman year, Jared's height had the basketball coach's head turning twice, but it was quickly apparent his complete lack of coordination and his aversion to team sports had the man looking back the other way. Where Jared had merely shrugged it off as Just Another Thing, his dad had seen it as a failed opportunity, another pivotal difference between him and his older brother, Jeff. Popular, charismatic, Pre-Med, all star athlete, Jeff. Not that Jared begrudged Jeff any of that, Jeff couldn't hold himself back just because Jared was his opposite, the freak, the resident Invisible Boy. Jeff couldn't help their father's offhand comments about wasted potential and it's never too late to join the team if he just put in a little practice and effort, and _“Come on, son, what do you say about a game of one on one?”_

Needless to say Jared hadn't been looking forward to the basketball portion of the curriculum rolling around and today just had to be that day. He especially hated when tools like Stephen Amell, the Maverick's own power forward, and, football player and all-around athlete, Mike Weatherly made it their time to shine.

The entire gymnasium was divided into smaller courts for several games to take place at once so “everyone had a chance to play.” More like forced to play.

Considering the last time Jared was in this room, he was at least grateful for the fact that there were fewer balls flying around.

“What's your opinion on the position of school mascot?”

He side-eyed Chad as the pair sauntered back and forth across the court, pretending to be following the ball and the small game as it happened around them. He knew he was going to regret asking this but, “Why?”

“I read online somewhere that there are people who dress up as animals and some chicks are totally into it in a legal bestiality way--”

“I'm gonna stop you there when I really wished I stopped you sooner. Chad, what happened to our rule about you not telling me literally anything you look up or see on the internet?”

This sadly wasn't even in the top thirty Google searches Chad had shared with him.

Jared moved a step back as shouts and squeaking sneakers thundered past. Chad at least waved his arms like he was doing something in the passing fray.

“Wait, that's an actual rule?”

“It is.” Jared nodded, angling himself in the direction of the groans and cheers of a successful score. ”A friendship law, even. And aside from all that, it's the end of February and I'm pretty sure that Osric kid has been dressing up as the mascot all year.”

“But I would do justice to the bull.”

“And I believe you have to be moderately athletic--”

“I'm athletic--”

“He can do a back flip.”

“I could do--”

“And land on his feet.”

Chad opened his mouth to argue further, but a whistle trilled, drawing Jared's attention to the game going on in the court next to theirs.

“This isn't a fashion show! Participate, Ackles!”

Chad's loud groan cut through the noise almost as well as Beaver's whistle because he knew what Jared's eyes were helpless but to scramble to find.

And Jared had been doing so well, too.

Jensen Ackles stuck out like a sore thumb. No, like Aphrodite's thumb. He was reclined against the wall in his obscenely tight navy uniform, picking at the yellow mesh jersey hanging loosely on his chest, nose adorably wrinkled and lip snarled in disgust. The sardonic arch of his brow he aimed at their teacher made Jared weak in the knees.

In the end, Beaver proved to be a more formidable opponent as he stood his ground from across the gym and loudly proclaimed that anyone unfortunate enough to get detention would be running laps.

With an almost impossible full body roll of his eyes, Jensen pushed off from the wall and dragged his feet to where Amell and Weatherly were basically wrestling each other for possession of the ball as their respective teams stood watching with glazed expressions.

God, Jensen wasn't even ten feet away.

“Hey, giant, ball!”

“Watch it!”

“Jared!” He only snapped out of it when he heard Chad and an orange comet whooshed past and nearly grazed his ear. Was his head a magnet for balls or something?

“Go get it,” one of the angry voices from before rang out. Jared watched with mounting dread as the ball rolled to a stop beneath the hoop of the game next to theirs.

Where Jensen Ackles stood, looking gorgeous and utterly bored.

Jared could do this. He so could. All he had to do was walk right up -or more like sneak over with catlike stealth- and get the ball. Outrageously simple. So theoretically that's what Jared did, swallowing thickly and moving far too fast (or maybe it just felt that way if the jeers behind him were anything to go by). Jared had never been this close to Jensen before, and he was somewhat stunned to learn the other boy was only a few inches shorter than him. He almost had the ball when doll green eyes drifted around the gym until they landed on Jared, pinning him to his spot stooped over the basketball.

In that instant, Jared was thrust back to Friday afternoon and Jensen was looking at him, but what had been a friendly smile before was now a pinched grimace. That combined with the none too subtle step away from him was a sucker punch to the gut. Jared's eyes dropped away and his shoulders curled in as he snatched up the ball, making for a hasty getaway.

A Mack truck slammed into him, sending him tripping and crashing into the same wall Jensen had been reclined against moments ago. Pain exploded up and down the left side of his body as he crumpled to the floor.

“Hey, you okay--” The soft voice was drowned out by loud whoops as Weatherly dropped down from his slam dunk.

Puffing out his chest, he turned towards Jensen and smugly asked, “See that?”

Jensen only blinked in response as Amell jogged up looking none too pleased with the score. All the while Jared laid there like a joke of a murder victim, hurting and praying that he could disappear into the floor.

Never mind, God must hate him.

“Trying to look up Jenny's shorts, perv?” Amell towered over his prone form.

Jared's eyes widened in panic jumping from Amell's flexing arms to Weatherly's guffawing face and landing finally on Jensen's pursed mouth and bright red ears.

Jared's mind blanked as instinct took over. His gangly limbs scrambled to get himself off the ground. His skinned elbow bled a sluggish trail as his side screamed. He didn't feel any of it over the immediate need to get away from this situation.

And he did, dodging bodies with his head ducked low and cheeks on fire, humiliation chasing him to the empty locker room. Attendance had already been taken. Beaver wouldn't notice he was gone.

No one ever did.

000

He shot off a text to Chad that he'd be skipping lunch and instead took refuge in the library. By the time he'd completed that morning's assigned work, his side had settled into a dull throb, the pain only spiking when the bell rang. He stubbornly stayed put though, despite the grumbling of his stomach which sounded a million times louder in the quiet room. The library was a veritable ghost town save for Mrs. Wallace, who reserved her time and suspicion for groups of students likely to generate noise rather than one lonely teen.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and a cursory glance revealed Chad's reply was a screen full of chicken emojis then a second, more serious text asking if he wanted company and something out of a vending machine. Jared fired back a heartfelt thanks but no thanks. As good as Chad's intentions were, Jared could do without the spectator play-by-play of last period.

The look on Jensen's face--

No. Okay, no, not thinking about that.

Which was a solid plan until the object of his avoidance was dragged into the library by half the cheer squad. Jared's side felt like it was clamped in a fiery vice. As Mrs. Wallace shrewdly watched the small scuffle, Jared pulled his stack of books closer and made himself smaller. He knew he was acting ridiculously. He barely amounted to one of the many specks of dust floating in the afternoon sunlight slicing across the room. Something about Jensen made him vastly overestimate his importance.

Imagine Jared's utter shock when, in the silence, he heard a soft grunt, a round of giggles, the librarian's prompt shush, and suddenly there was a presence hovering beside his table.

“Um, hello?”

Jared froze. He knew that voice, knew that smooth whiskey timbre made to sink into his bones like the vibration of a tuning fork. He'd heard it shouting at pep rallies and talking across rooms but he'd never heard it this soft and timid.

Slowly, carefully, Jared peered through his perpetual curtain of hair to see all his best dreams and worst nightmares wrapped up in one person.

“You're Jason Padaleski, right?”

Jensen Ackles was looking at him... and talking to him... and seemed to know some approximation of his name.

At that moment Jared couldn't find it in himself to care about the mistake. The only truly baffling aspect of all this was why?

Jensen frowned, brows raised in question. “Or... not?” He glanced behind himself at the group of girls settled a few tables over and back down at Jared.

Belatedly Jared realized he probably looked like a gaping moron, but his tongue sat like a dry knot at the back of his throat. His aching side flared reminding him that he'd thoroughly embarrassed himself in front of this beautiful boy not one hour ago.

_Go ahead, Jared. Say something witty and charming now._

Jensen, by some miracle, was still waiting, bouncing on the balls of his feet and shooting long looks over his shoulder. When he seemed to make an aborted move to leave, deeply buried determination and years of daydreaming barbed with crippling anxiety barreled from the depth of Jared's being and blurted from his mouth as a too loud, “H-hi!”

Maybe Mrs. Wallace shushed him, but all he could focus on through the manic beating of his heart was Jensen's startled expression and his cautious, “Hi,” in response

After that Jared was at a loss as to what to do other than to stare unblinking. All his fantasies about Jensen were a bit more familiar and advanced beyond introductions, R-rated things like--

_Whoa, whoa, do not think those thoughts with him right there._

Jared subtly slid lower in his seat to hide his lap.

Unaware of all this, Jensen seemingly came to some sort of a decision and straightened his posture, slapping on a grin. “I'm Jensen Ackles. You have Richings for AP Calculus, right?”

A little stuck on those glittering white teeth this up close, Jared only managed a dumb nod.

“Well, I have him for regular Calc first period, and the man is a downright sadist in the morning. I'm barely squeaking by, and I need at least a C to stay on the squad. And word on the street is you're kind of a genius at that stuff so...” Perfectly groomed, sandy brows raised in expectation.

“... the street?” Jared asked faintly. It was what his brain clung to. His name wasn't even in the same zip code, let alone the street. Perhaps Jason Padaleski really did exist...

“Yeah... Any-way, you can totally say no, but do you mind helping me get my grade up? I've got practice after school, but maybe during lunch or some other time?”

Jared heard as far as Jensen asking for help before all sound was replaced with underwater echoes and a high pitched ringing in his ears like an explosion having gone off in an action film.

Not only by some grace of God was Jensen talking to him, but his dream boy wanted Jared to tutor him? As in interact in semi-close quarters on possibly multiple occasions?

Jared was bobbing his head eagerly to distract himself from fainting like a twelve year old girl.

“Great! So I'll meet you here tomorrow?”

Again with the bobble head.

Jensen flashed a dazzling smile, but as he turned to leave he paused and the confident breadth of his shoulders deflated slightly. He peaked over at his table of friends before turning his back on them. His expression softened with concern.

“How's your, um, everything?”

Jared's confusion must have shown, because Jensen stooped down closer and Jared forgot how to breathe.

“That thing in gym. Stephen and Mike can be real assholes.”

If Jared's face hadn't been red during this entire interaction, the reminder of gym class surely did the trick.

“Oh... um, that...” he mumbled, the notes he had been working on became the most interesting thing in the room. “I wasn't,” he started. “I wasn't trying to look up your--”

“I know. Like I said, massive assholes,” Jensen swiftly interjected.

The panicked breath Jared had been holding in eased. In the next instant, his brow pinched in confusion. If they were such jerks in Jensen's eyes, why did he even give them the time of day? Jensen was too good to associate with the likes of them. No matter how badly Jared wanted to ask, it wasn't any of his business.

Luckily Jensen carried on before Jared could think on it any longer.

“I'm glad you're okay. So, see you tomorrow?”

Jared, this time, eeked out a small, “Yeah.”

Progress.

“Good, see you then.” This time Jensen left with a parting smile, and this one somehow seemed more genuine than the last and all Jared's self-exaggerated progress went right out the window. The only term he could aptly use to describe the way he watched Jensen leave the library with his table full of cheerleaders on his heels was with “goo goo eyes.”

_Did that really just happen?_

Stupefied, Jared sat there, his pen slack in his hand, not unlike his jaw; and that's how Chad found him however long later.

His friend plopped down in the seat across from him and tossed a pack of twinkies onto his notebook.

“Don't rush to thank me. The stupid machine gave me the wrong thing, but hey still pretty fucking nice of me.” Seeing Mrs. Wallace occupied checking out books for a student, Chad covertly pulled out his phone and hid it below the tabletop in his lap. “Since you ditched me at lunch, I had to live off Instagram. Drunk People Doing Things is fucking gold. You gotta check out this guy lighting his face on fire.”

As he leaned over to pass his phone across the table, he finally noticed his friend's gobsmacked expression.

“Uh... what's wrong with you?”

Blinking slowly as if coming out of a trance, Jared turned to look at him. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. The truth was beyond believable.

For the rest of that period and with many stops and starts, two abrupt, lost stares, and one murderous outburst from Chad that nearly earned them both the librarian's wrath, Jared eventually relayed what had happened with perhaps one too many tangents about how attractive Jensen was. Describing the scene out loud had the effect of making it more real to him as he leaned forward in anticipation of Chad's reaction.

Jared really should have known better.

Instead of freaking out with him like a good friend would, in typical Chad fashion, he collapsed back in his chair cackling. His only saving grace from Mrs. Wallace was the bell for next period drowning out his howls.

Jared slouched with a huff. “Why are you the worst?”

000

Chad was convinced this latest delusion was the beginning of Jared's descent into madness, and come the next day, Jared wasn't sure if for once Chad wasn't entirely wrong.

The rest of yesterday had passed in a blur. By dinner that night, his stomach had tied itself into such knots the meal consisted of distracted poking at his mashed potatoes until he was dismissed to finish his homework. He was careful to avoid his Calculus textbook because of... reasons. Instead he spent too many hours playing video games. Any time he contemplated putting down the controller, he'd think ahead to lying in bed with swarming thoughts that would keep him up and he decided slaughtering trolls and dark elves was a much more productive use of his time.

School came far too early. Despite his dragging feet and the dark circles under his eyes, he was on high alert for -he didn't even know- something. Honestly anything to wipe the sardonic look off Chad's face.

Ever since Jensen had moved here, Jared had become attuned to Jensen's proximity, easily spotting him since Jared stood a foot taller than most of his classmates; but today it seemed Chad was horning in on his signal, almost as quickly as Jared could. Unlike Jared's silent staring, the jerk would sharply poke him in the ribs then point and wiggle his eyebrows. Jared could have had an aneurysm. Luckily or dishearteningly -depending on how one looked at it- Jensen never seemed to notice, going about his day as usual, like Jared wasn't losing his mind. Like he hadn't fundamentally changed Jared by simply talking to him yesterday.

Come gym class, Jared had resigned himself to self-delusion. Too many hormones and too much wishful thinking. Jared kept to his side of the gym, careful to give Amell a wide berth where he hovered around Jensen. He did not need a repeat of yesterday. Although that still didn't stop him from heading straight to the library as soon as he had changed and applied fifteen layers of deodorant. His hair, unfortunately, would forever be a lost cause.

“I can't believe we're skipping tater tot day because you stroked out for real yesterday and dreamed that Ackles wants you to be his sexy tutor.”

“No one asked you to come with,” Jared snapped. His simmering nerves were boiling, making him nauseous. His eyes kept darting from his notes to the vacant library entrance.

And seriously, sexy tutor? Jared had no such illusions. He was too tall, too skinny, and wholly unremarkable. Jared had seen the guys Jensen went out with, and Jared was not even remotely in that realm.

Chad snorted, “Right.” He perused the books on the shelf nearest to Jared's table. “I'm your wing man, fictional or otherwise. You need me, but can we go soon? I missed breakf-- Holy shit!”

His choked off silence was a welcome relief but also concerning. Chad never shut up, at least not voluntarily. Jared took one look at his bewildered expression and followed his eye line just in time to watch the cutest boy in Texas get shoved into the library by head cheerleader, Danneel Harris and the rest of the squad.

As Jensen stumbled to regain his balance, their eyes connected and all those fear-soaked thoughts he'd been trying to avoid smacked into him like a two by four.

This was an incredibly bad idea.

He couldn't do this.

He wasn't even one of the smart kids. He just liked numbers.

Jensen had to find someone else.

He should have just faked sick this morning, he'd have no difficulty throwing up right at this moment.

_Jesus, seriously the Boba Fett shirt today?!_

Jensen whirled around to the smirking redhead waggling her fingers behind the library glass, his frame thrumming with tension. Faced with a sea of glossed Cheshire grins, he carefully put his back to them and headed towards Jared, who may or may not be hyperventilating.

The greeting smile and wave Jensen aimed at him was the final straw of his resolve.

Did Jared mention this was a horrible, terrible idea?

“Hey Jason--”

In his periphery, Jared could see Chad's confusion and mouthed, “Jason?”

“How are you?”

This was probably where Jared should respond, but every response that came to mind sounded so idiotic. No one had any right to look that good on a Tuesday afternoon in a public high school's musty library.

Jared flinched as a pair of hands clapped down on his shoulders.

“I'm out of here,” Chad announced. “Hit me up later, **Jared**.” He pressed Jared down firmly as if he knew he was about to flee. Jared's alarmed gaze followed Chad as he rounded the table and walked backwards out the door, shooting him a cocky thumbs up.

Jared stared after his friend lost until--

“Your name's not Jason?” Jared was startled back onto Jensen's crestfallen face.

Jared ducked his head and peered uncertainly through the fall of his hair. “Not, not technically, no?”

“Oh my God!” Jensen collapsed into the chair across from him. “I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I was told--” He craned his neck to look back toward the window facing out into the hall, and Jared leaned around him to spot two of the girls from earlier outside, reclined against the lockers playing on their phones. One glancing up to look right at them. Jensen turned back with a sneer. He noticed Jared's confusion and gestured behind himself with a helpless shrug.

“They um... Danneel -she's the captain- really takes the squad's academics very seriously, and she doesn't want to lose one of her bases so uh... she's crazy strict. Just ignore them.” A shy smile crept onto his face, and Jared forgot about the last five minutes. “So I guess it's safe to assume that 'Padaleski' is wrong if I already fucked up your first name?”

“Padalecki, but close enough? It doesn't matter anyway. It's a mouth full and everyone gets it wrong all the time, although I think Coach Beaver sometimes does it on purpose, because it's spelled right there on my gym uniform, but then again my handwriting isn't all that great so maybe I'm just being paranoid--”

His teeth clicked with how fast he shut his mouth to stifle the flow of nervous word vomit he was spewing all over Jensen and his achingly polite grin. His eyes dropped down to his book, horrified. Nothing like going from a mute dork to a babbling idiot.

_Way to go, Jason Padaleski._

After a long stretch of silence where he was going to make a break for it to avoid any more damage, Jensen spoke. “... Beaver is an ass. He refuses to accept Cheer as part of the athletic program - _because no one works harder than his boys_ \- so it wouldn't surprise me if he got your name wrong on purpose. Some bullshit power move, I assume. I promise I won't forget, Jared Padalecki.”

Jared's breath stuttered. Something about those lips wrapping perfectly around his name did things to him.

“See, I can handle a mouth full.” Jensen shot him a sly wink, and Jared choked. Thankfully Mrs. Wallace was elsewhere as Jared hacked and waved away Jensen's offer of water, his concern ruined by his poorly concealed smirk. Satisfied, Jensen swung his bag atop the table. “Ready to get started?”

With ruddy cheeks and wet eyes, Jared nodded eagerly, a stray cough escaping. He scooted his chair in further to hide the bulge in his lap that persisted despite his nearly choking to death. (Kinky, Chad would say.) He was unable to look higher than Jensen's adorably freckled hand gripping his pencil which sadly did little for his problem.

How the hell was he going to survive this?

000

That had to be the longest yet quickest hour of Jared's life.

Jensen was the perfect student, which didn't come as a shock to Jared. Jensen was kind of perfect in every way.

Once they'd gotten started and Jared felt like he could breathe just enough to avoid passing out, Jensen was attentive and focused and asked articulate questions that confused Jared as to how he could possibly be failing. Not that Jared was going to worry about that. If a loser like Jared could manage to score an hour of Jensen Ackles' undivided attention, he wasn't about to question it.

Now it was the end of the school day. Unknowingly, Jared wore a dopey grin as he closed his locker and rested against it, a little lost in remembering the tiny furrow between Jensen's brows whenever Jared explained an equation.

“Has the boner gone down yet?” That was all the warning he got before a hard flick nailed him in the balls and had him doubling over. His euphoria now ruined by the sudden sting.

Chad slouched next to his hunched figure. “And don't lie and say you didn't rub one out behind the stacks as soon as you watched Ackles' pretty ass bounce away.”

If only glares had the power to kill or at the very least maim.

“Unlike you--” He straightened with a grimace. “-- I have a strict rule against jerking off at school on the grounds of it being fucking gross.”

Even if he had definitely watched Jensen's very pretty ass bounce away and was sorely tempted to break his rule. Jared had the self-control to make it home to the privacy of his own room... in the very immediate future.

Chad's jaw dropped in offense. “Liar.” He had to jog to keep up with Jared's long strides, because Jared was on a mission and wasn't about to waste precious time. “So was Prince Charming everything you hoped for?”

A soft smile came unbidden.

Everything, everything and more.

“He was fine.”

“Just fine?”

Jared rolled his eyes despite his growing smile as he pushed open one of the front doors into the afternoon sunshine.

“It was a math lesson, not a date.”

Jared wouldn't dare to entertain the notion, and with that thought his thousand watts dimmed.

“Dude, if I haven't taught you how to sexualize everything, even something as boring as numbers, then clearly I haven't been doing my job.” Chad cleared his throat. “Lesson number one--”

“No! No thank you, I'm good!” Jared sped down the front steps, hoping to miss the blasphemy coming out of his friend's mouth. He liked his non-sexy numbers just fine. Close proximity to Jensen didn't need any more erotic elements, especially not the monstrosities Chad was extolling behind him, earning bewildered looks from every unfortunate soul within hearing range.

“Whatev, run from my epic wisdom.” Chad finally caught up to him with a huff. “But really, how was it? You can't just tell me it was 'fine.' Be honest.”

Hiking his bag up higher on his shoulder, Jared thought back to the end of their session. While Jensen gathered his stuff and the distressed tingle snaking through Jared at the thought of, _“This is it. He's leaving. He got what he wanted, and he's done with you,”_ kept him in his seat.

“So.” Jensen grinned, supplies in hand and unaware of the morose state Jared was sinking into. “Tomorrow, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel?”

Jensen wanted to do this again? For real?

Jared had been so thrown for a loop that he devolved back to his guppy nods, an unfamiliar elation creeping in.

A blink and you'd miss it hesitation flashed across Jensen's face before he returned a much more subdued nod of his own, his grin ratcheting higher like in this exchange Jensen had done something right, like there was a possibility Jared would ever say no.

Chad scoffed, breaking him out of his reminiscing. “How about this: you buy me a burger and you can gush all about your little study date and I won't even say a word when you go jerk off over it in the bathroom, because I'm such an amazing friend, cool?”

Jared opened his mouth to argue but decided against it. He had missed lunch after all, and he was positively vibrating over every random, remembered detail of his time with Jensen... as for jerking off in the diner's bathroom, well... Jared's steadfast rule really only applied to school property and he was only human.

000

“So... when did you move here?”

Jared startled from his trance caused by the tap-tap-tapping of Jensen's pencil next to the practice equations Jared had painstakingly written out. Jensen's neat, bubble letters made Jared's efforts look like a meth addict's chicken scratch by comparison.

“Wha-- oh.” He fiddled with his own pencil, cheeks heating. “I... didn't? I've kinda lived here my whole life.”

Giggles from the table behind them ran up his spine. He resisted the urge to turn around, because he knew they were merely coincidence. Jensen had explained that some of the cheer squad needed to study almost as much as he did, and had advised Jared to just pretend they weren't there.

Jensen shifted uncomfortably in his chair and went back to his work. Jared gnawed the inside of his cheek bloody, knowing he had done something wrong. He could feel Jensen constantly checking the clock on the wall.

He should say something, right? Some reassurance that it's okay, it was an honest mistake, Jared might as well be the new kid on account of how forgettable he truly was; but every syllable filtered down from his brain to his mouth screeched to a halt and piled up in a traffic jam behind his lips.

As soon as the bell rang, the other boy lunged out of his seat and a small part of Jared withered away and died.

“Thanks again. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?” And just like that, Jensen was gone.

Jared stared hard at the same page he'd been on for the last twenty minutes. Distantly he wondered what could be so funny at the table behind him before he realized he was distracting himself from Jensen and how this was not at all how he'd imagined it going. His fault really. His imagination gave him way more credit than he deserved. Certainly more confidence and better dialogue, that's for sure.

He slid the sheet of practice equations closer only to see Jensen had been just as unproductive as him. His finger traced the lead indents of the work Jensen had abandoned halfway through.

Why had today's study session been so much worse than yesterday's?

Jared had made an effort to speak more and not to stare. To be honest, it probably had to do with Jensen catching him off guard with a turn in their limited conversation thus far that had nothing to do with Calculus and the hurt that lingered from such an innocent question.

Rising out of his chair, Jared tucked the paper away, a sick rolling in his stomach. He should try harder, but he could already see himself screwing up before he even tried. The resigned exhale he let out left him feeling his own inadequacy even more keenly.

_Don't think about it._

He had class to get to, and besides, there was always tomorrow.

000

Except Jensen didn't show the next day.

Jared waited a half hour into the period, sitting and watching the door like an abandoned puppy. None of the other cheerleaders were around either. Maybe something was wrong if none of them were here?

There was no suppressing the whisper that Jensen hadn't shown because of him.

Jared didn't think of himself as conceited (he would have to have qualities he was proud of for that to be the case) but at gym where Jensen's gaze usually drifted effortlessly through him, he seemed to actively avoid looking at anything in Jared's general direction. That was most likely his way of letting Jared down easy without actually having to deal with him. Jared couldn't blame him.

Not hungry but also not wanting to stick around the library just in case Jensen somehow passed by and saw what a pathetic loser he was, Jared headed to lunch. He wasn't looking forward to Chad's pitying questions, but hopefully it would be one of those days his friend had the attention span of a gnat and he'd distract Jared from the heaviness weighing him down. Maybe he could start experimenting with eating his emotions and see how that worked for him.

As soon as he stepped into the cafeteria, his eyes went straight to a certain table and there was Jensen. Even though Jared knew the other boy's absence was a clear message, Jared had secretly hoped something had prevented Jensen from showing. That bit of hope made his being here all along hurt more than it should.

He bee-lined to the other side of the room where Chad was scarfing down a sandwich. Jared missed his friend's surprise when he sat down, eyes stuck on Jensen's back.

“What are you doing here? Don't you have sexy teaching hour?”

Jensen's head was hung low. His back tense. He seemed to have the collective focus of his entire lunch table.

“Jare?”

Eventually the pretty redhead -Danneel something- smiled in triumph as Jensen curled in on himself more and nodded. Seeing him like that felt inherently wrong, and Jared instantly disliked the girl. When Jensen suddenly twisted around and their eyes met, Jared jumped and looked elsewhere, his pulse hammering.

“Dude, the fuck?” Chad's hand waved in front of his face. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” was his automatic response. Although he was no longer looking at Jensen, he could still see the defeated look on his face.

“How come you're not in the library? Did something happen?”

Unconsciously he made a decision and snapped himself out of it, looking into Chad's puzzled face. “We, uh, canceled.”

It seemed easier to lie.

“Something came up.” The flimsy explanation was vague, but Jared just didn't want to get into how he screwed everything up with his terminal awkwardness. He wanted to keep Jensen's simple ghosting to himself a little longer. If he didn't say anything, it wasn't real yet and maybe there was a chance Jensen might change his mind. Then again that could be wishful thinking on Jared's part, but it didn't quell the urge to shield Jensen from Chad's wrath. His best friend would have no issue with stomping right up to the star cheerleader and giving him a piece of his warped mind.

Pure embarrassment from the thought of such a spectacle was enough to make him shudder.

“Uh... sure, okay. Any reason why Mr. Popular would be coming over here then?”

Jared's neck cracked with the speed he lifted his head as his heart leapt into his throat. Sure enough, Jensen Ackles was heading their way for God knew what reason. Deer in headlights couldn't begin to cover how he felt and most likely looked. Jensen appeared as if he were performing a death march, dragging his feet with his jaw set, still devastatingly gorgeous. Once he realized Jared was watching him, a bright smile appeared, easing the tight feeling in his chest.

“Hey, Jared... and Jared's friend,” he added, noticing Chad but not lingering and turning his full attention on Jared. Jared, for his part, didn't dare move. “Sorry about today. There was an, uh, emergency Cheer meeting--”

“You have those?” Chad interjected, earning two glares -Jared's severe while Jensen's was only mildly annoyed- aimed between his squinted eyes.

“We do,” Jensen answered with a purse of his lips and Jared's stomach flipped at the twin dimples that framed Jensen's mouth. “Anyway, I hope you didn't wait for me?”

Chad's sharp kick under the table had him wincing and gritting out, “Not-- not long.”

“Good...” Jensen's slightly disturbed gaze drifted back and forth between the pair. “I didn't have a way to reach you, so is it cool if we exchange numbers?”

“My--” Jared blinked at the other boy's open palm. “Yeah.” Blindly he retrieved his phone from his pocket and handed it over. He hoped he hadn't left anything horrific open on there for Jensen to see like the other boy's Instagram or the fact that the only people Jared texted were his parents and Chad.

Jensen soon handed it back with a tight grin. “There, sent myself a text.”

Jared felt as if he were cradling the Holy Grail, and in a sense, he was.

Jensen Ackles gave him his phone number.

“Well then, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.” The word had barely left his mouth before Jensen was spinning on his heel and returning to his own table. Reflexively, Jared turned his head in the opposite direction because the temptation of ogling Jensen's ass was too great and no way was he going to knowingly be such a creep. He reared back in shock though. Before where the other occupants of their lunch table ignored him and Chad in favor of their own circle of friends, now almost a dozen pairs of eyes were studying him as if this was the first time they'd ever seen him.

Another sharp kick had him glaring back at Chad and stooping over to rub at where, no doubt, a spectacular bruise was forming. “What?”

“Look at you, scoring the digits. I feel like a proud daddy.” Chad sniffled and wiped away a non-existent tear.

Jared rolled his eyes. “Please don't refer to yourself as daddy ever again, and it's not a big deal. It's for rescheduling purposes.”

“Oh yeah?” A quirk of his blond eyebrow. “Then why do you have a Kung Fu grip on your phone?”

Jared peered down at the white knuckle hold on his phone and dropped it onto the table as if burned. “Shut up.” Surreptitiously he worked circulation back into his fingers.

“So, are you going to use it?”

Jared's mind balked at the notion. The thought seemed far-fetched and preposterous.

Chad read the blank stare on his friend's face and deflated. He scrubbed at his cheeks and adopted a serious expression. “Will you do me a favor tomorrow when you meet up with your dream boy?”

Jared's head tilted in question.

“ _Try_.”

When his friend tilted his head further, he elaborated. “Bro, I know you. You're so afraid of screwing things up before you even try, so you don't. I'm no self-help guru, but even I know you can't go through life like that. You're a great guy, and Jensen should see that. Maybe it is purely platonic and won't go any further than that, but you'll regret it if you spend your time together rattling on about numbers and that's if you ever open your mouth--” He deflected the look he received with a wave of his hand. “I repeat, I know you. You're the quietest person I know.

“Look... all I'm saying is to just try.”

Jared sat back digesting Chad's words, thinking of the million different things wrong with them but saying none of them. Chad obviously felt strongly enough about this to suspend his “no chick flick moments” rule. Here Chad was being Jared's own personal life coach. The moment was worth observing.

Seeing Chad was waiting for some response, Jared bobbed his head and mumbled a superficial agreement about trying. He didn't know if he would -the prospect sounded more like an exercise in futility- but he could acknowledge that perhaps his friend had a point.

For Jensen, he was worth a try at least.

000

Trying would have to start next week, because Jared, in all of his worrying forgot Fridays were school spirit days. Regular students wore the school colors (burnt orange and navy blue); jocks wore their jerseys; and cheerleaders wore their...

Jared nearly fainted dead away at the sight of Jensen Ackles walking towards him in his crisp white and navy uniform which hugged his lithe figure to a weep-worthy T.

For that torturous hour, Jared used his entire reserve of will power to not drool on the boy; even though said boy looked like the precursor to every one of his wettest dreams. If Jensen didn't notice anything odd about his behavior during their study period, it probably became apparent to him when the bell rang and Jared -for once- was the first to jump up to leave, sloppily gathering his books and using them as a makeshift shield to hide the Pavlovian effect Jensen in that uniform had on him. His cheeks were on fire as he stammered a combination of Goodbye and Monday. He could have died when Jensen called out a confused, “Have a good weekend” behind him, but Jared couldn't stop. He had pressing matters to attend to.

So much for his no jerking off at school policy. Damn it.

000

_Try. Just try._

The staccato rhythm of Jared's pencil was the only sound in the library. If it bothered Jensen, he didn't say anything, seemingly content as he worked on a new work sheet of equations... right next to Jared. Not across, not diagonal, next to him. Jensen had strolled in complaining of a stiff neck and asked if Jared would mind if he sat next to him to see his notes easier. He proceeded to drop down beside him before Jared could formulate a response. So here Jared was with Jensen and his stiff neck and Jared himself with his stiff-- well.

He didn't dare move or even breathe much. Each small sip of air he took in served as a tiny hit of the addictive smell of Jensen's cologne. It was something warm and sweet but woodsy; Jared couldn't really describe it any better than that. All he knew was he wanted to forsake all oxygen and live in that scent forever.

“Done,” Jensen announced, sliding his paper over and putting a halt to Jared's jittering.

Eager to distract himself from the paranoid slippery slope his thoughts had taken on the properties of his own smell and if -God forbid- he stunk to the other boy, Jared dove into his grading with a single-minded intensity. When at points the sea of numbers and letters blurred into gibberish, because Jared could feel probing eyes on him, he tried not to let it show. Despite his efforts, what should have been quick work took a little longer than it should have. It appeared from his answers that Jensen was getting it, but he was still making simple mistakes. The work itself would be correct, then the answers would be completely off base.

Jared opened his mouth to suggest that perhaps they should go over limits again.

“So, how was your weekend? What did you do?”

His mouth snapped shut with an audible click. His mind flew over his weekend of video games, jerking off (not at the same time) and staring at the spanking-new number in his phone for so long he inadvertently memorized it. God, wouldn't that be the weirdest thing to admit to? Who knew anyone's phone number by heart nowadays?

“Uh... it was okay, just hung out.” That sounded cool, right? “What about you?”

“Eh, nothing special.” Jensen shrugged. “Practice and Mike Rosenbaum's parents were out of town so there was the obligatory cheap beer rager to go to, you know how that is.”

“Pssh, yeah.” Jared nodded along in commiseration but was inwardly cringing. He so did not know how that was. The last party he'd been to was Alexis Bledel's birthday party in the second grade and that was only because her mom insisted she invite the whole class. A point she made known while handing out her invitations. “But you, uh, had a fun time though?”

“I guess? Better than sitting at home by myself.”

Jared's agreeing chuckle sounded fake and pathetic to his own ears. “You're right about that.”

Never mind the fact he had been done just that, scrambling for his cell each time it dinged with a notification of Jensen uploading pics while he was at said party to his Snapchat in real time. They were dark and Jared didn't recognize majority of the people in them. The wall of bodies closed in around Jensen had made Jared shudder at their suffocating proximity yet burn with envy.

Even sitting right next to the boy, Jared couldn't fathom being that close touching him. He wouldn't brave it. Just in case, he pulled his limbs tighter to himself.

“... you don't need to be so scared of me,” Jensen murmured. He eased back into his chair and studied Jared like he was some abused stray.

“Wh- what? No, I'm not.” His face contorted in exaggerated bafflement. “Why—um-- why would you say that?” The laugh he forced was high and shaky. Under the disbelieving stare he received, he tried to relax his rigid frame.

All very convincing.

At least Jared hoped so. Jensen's next remarks dashed that hope.

“I only say that because you're always so tense. We've been meeting for almost a week now and you've yet to make direct eye contact with me, you're sweating bullets, and then there's the ever-present look of abject fear on your face. Am I wrong?”

By the time he had finished, Jared's casual sprawl had settled into rigor mortis. How had he managed to mess up what was shaping up to be a normal conversation? Oh, that's right, he tried. The smart thing to do would be to go. Just go and hope the other boy forgot all about this.

“Hey.”

He nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand brushed against his arm. Holy shit, Jensen had touched him. He was never washing that arm again. Jensen leaned closer and suddenly fanfiction green eyes were all Jared could see.

“You're doing me a huge favor when you really, really don't have to. I mean, there's not much in this for you. If you're uncomfortable, please, please, just tell me to fuck off. I won't be mad.”

Jared blinked, uncomprehending. Tell Jensen to fuck off? He couldn't imagine a situation where he ever would. Guilt raked down his insides. Jensen was being considerate and Jared, in his infinite weirdness, was the cause of all this discomfort. Not Jensen, Jared. He would smack himself if Jensen wouldn't think he was more of a head case than he already did.

“No, um. No,” he sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose, his eyes pinched shut in hopes the lack of vision would somehow help better organize the jumbled mess of what he wanted to say. “You're-- You are fine. It's me. It's my fault. I'm being an idiot. I'm just-- I'm not used to-- You're--” He huffed and sat back. The sight of the other boy's utter bewilderment made his frustration at himself even worse. The last came out in a tight rush. “What I'm saying is, I want to help you, that is if you still want me to. I'll try to do better and not act scared, I swear. You're fine, great even, like fucking awesome. I'm just--”

“Whoa, Jared, it's okay. I didn't say all that to make you feel bad. You're a 'fucking awesome' tutor, so of course I still want your help. Just... relax, okay? Because the amount of anxiety you're giving off is making me anxious, and there's probably some way I can make that into a Calculus joke, but I'm not smart enough to do that.” Jensen's smile was at once kind and edged with bitterness.

Without thinking Jared blurted, “Don't say that. You're extremely smart.”

A perfectly groomed eyebrow cocked in apprehension. “You really think so?”

The signature guppy nod.

“Well...” His smile wilted, his stare drifting to a spot past Jared. After a beat, the downturn of his full mouth lifted into a sly curve. “The point I was trying to get across is I don't bite... unless you want me to.” His straight, white teeth snapped at the air with a loud click. The sleazy wink he shot at Jared was so unexpected, Jared couldn't stop from snorting. He froze for a moment of indecision, unsure whether or not to be mortified, but the pleased grin on Jensen's face tipped him towards the laughter rattling in his chest. For the first time since Jared had been trying to relax, he actually did so.

Well, as much as he could around the most perfect person in the universe.

When Mrs. Wallace swooped over to shush them, the conspiratorial tight-lipped smiles they exchanged made Jared's heart swell. If he hadn't been in love with Jensen Ackles before, he sure as shit was now. Once again, he had to remind himself that nothing would ever come of it and that pang in his chest was still there, but Jensen was wrong about one thing. Jared was getting something out of this. It may not be requited love but maybe... it could be a friend.

He almost did smack himself for such a corny thought.

000

Days later when everything was going smoother with Jensen, it was like the universe needed to balance itself out.

“It couldn't have been that bad.”

The blinding sunshine beating down on them made Jared's incredulous stare more of an incredulous squint.

“Oh, believe me, it was.”

Jared never thought he would be happy to escape to gym class, but after the excruciating ordeal he had just endured, doing laps on a steaming track was an unexpected respite.

Chad merely shrugged. “Public speaking sucks ass. No one likes it -except maybe the theater kids- so I'm sure what you're thinking was a shit show was totally normal.”

Stifling his immediate reaction to insist on how very wrong his friend was, Jared bit down on the inside of his lips, leaving a pale line, and nodded instead. Chad would never get it, so there wasn't much point in arguing about it. He wouldn't get why Jared still felt like he could vomit or why he even gave a shit in general.

Just the thought of English class today made him quicken his pace as if he could outrun the memory of it.

Today had been their group presentations, a fact that had crept up on him or otherwise he would have faked an illness for the nurse. Granted after the fact, he didn't need to fake anything.

Jared had sat sweating and waiting for the guillotine to drop as group after group performed their skits, some bored, some giggly, and one even borderline Oscar-worthy. (Chad was onto something about the theater kids.) When the time finally came for their own ragtag group and the bell still hadn't rung, Jared moved in jerky, robotic movements to the front of the room. The sheet of highlighted lines in his hand was damp and crumpled. He clutched to it like a lifeline, which in essence, it was. His group had barely exchanged more than a handful of words, just enough to claim who was taking which part, and somehow in that debacle Jared got stuck with the most lines. They hadn't practiced. At that exact moment he couldn't even recall which play they were performing from. This was an impending disaster.

“When you're ready.” Ms. Rhodes gestured for them to begin from her desk off to the side.

The churning in his gut was so bad he missed when they actually started and didn't realize he'd missed his cue until a pause dragged on longer than it should have. When he dared to look up at his group, they were glaring impatiently back at him. He scrambled to find his place, the paper in his hands tearing almost clean in half. Snickers rippled around the room as his desert dry mouth worked to form clever words around the numb swell of his tongue.

As much as he tried to suppress it, the deep quivering in his insides radiated out through his voice. He made it two sentences before an obnoxious exclamation came from the back. “Can't hear you!” The round of snickers this time curdled and shrunk his lungs.

From that point on he rushed to finish, whether his tremulous voice was audible enough or not. He raced back to his seat during the tepid applause, his shoulders up to his ears and his hair hiding the panicked wetness of his eyes.

His stomach swooped at thinking again of the disastrous incident. He should have paid attention to his days and orchestrated a sick day; that had been his plan initially. Unfortunately, that was before Jensen had asked for his help, and as lame it was, he couldn't bear the thought of voluntarily sacrificing any time with his crush.

Missing a day could mean Jensen moving on to someone way more qualified to tutor him.

Jensen moving on would mean no reason for him to talk to Jared, and as inevitable as that was, Jared couldn't think about that just yet.

“--fucking Dick would not shut up. It's like the dude is constantly auditioning to be a game show host.” The tail-end of the story Chad had launched into without Jared noticing at last broke through the nightmare he'd been reliving.

“Who's a fucking dick?”

“Dick Speight! The guy I had a project with last semester. Talk about a shit show.”

“Richard.”

“What?”

“I think he prefers to go by Richard.”

“Nope, it's Dick,” Chad determined with a solemn nod, and Jared was more than okay with conceding.

“Everyone on the track, pick up the pace!” Coach Beaver's whistle trilled somewhere behind them. Wordlessly the pair shuffled into a lazy imitation of a jog long enough for the old man to find something else to bitch about, which didn't take long at all. “Weatherly! Get that javelin out from between your legs before you poke your dang eye out!”

As Chad snorted and looked around for the crude display, they slowed and resumed their leisurely stroll.

“So,” Chad huffed and swiped his arm across his forehead. “How are things going with your boy?”

“Not my boy,” Jared corrected, “But... better.”

“Yeah?”

“I mean, I think so?” He kicked a pebble ahead of him, eying it to only catch up with it and kick it again. “I'm using words and stuttering is down almost forty percent, so we actually have conversations. He's really cool.”

“Way to go, Jare!” Chad clapped him on the back, which from anyone else Jared would hate and interpret as patronizing. It was still somehow more embarrassing knowing Chad was being sincere. “Huh...” The pensive drop to his friend's tone sparked Jared's curiosity to try to follow Chad's sight line, but the glare of the sun made following that narrow gaze almost impossible.

“What?”

At the center of the large track was a circuit of field activities most of the class had opted to do in lieu of laps. He couldn't see what was so interesting about that, besides maybe Stephen Amell almost twisting his ankle on the Long Jump.

“Isn't that DJ Qualls?” A guy almost as skinny and quiet as Jared blended in easily in the sea of navy uniforms.

“I don't know. What about him?”

“Over there, by the goal post.” Chad had no shame when it came to pointing.

Following his friend's finger, Jared's eyes naturally landed on Jensen first and he was taken aback. Jensen's arms were crossed tightly over his chest as he ignored the discus at his feet, his sharp jaw ticking with such tension Jared could see it from several yards away. Never before had Jared seen the cheerleader express anything other than a sunny disposition or plain boredom. The foul mood emitting from his lean frame was new. As the track curved closer and bodies shifted, Jared could see where the daggers shooting from viridian eyes were aimed.

DJ Qualls was leaning against the goal post with none other than Katie Cassidy pressed up close to him. The boy's face was beetroot as his hands clenched helplessly at his sides until they latched onto the baggy sides of his shorts just to have somewhere to put them. Every time DJ opened his mouth, the blonde would throw her head back and laugh and slap playfully at his chest.

Sure, it was... different but nothing to warrant Jensen and Chad's strange responses. Jared didn't see what the big deal was.

“Are they dating or something?”

“Fucking how?!” Chad blurted. “The dude wears a fucking cape to school and smells like a foot and now he's got the third hottest cheerleader practically grinding on his dick?”

“Whoa, I didn't know you had a thing for Katie.”

“I don't.” The suggestion seemed to calm him somewhat. “I'm a Sophia man, first and foremost, with that Danneel Harris a close second.”

“Making Katie third?”

“Yeah.” Jared socked him in the arm, and his friend quickly amended, “ **Female** cheerleaders. Your pretty boy can have a category all his own, jeesh... All I'm saying is that--” He pointed at Katie whispering in DJ's ear. “--is fucking messed up.”

Looking from Jensen's seething face to the odd couple, Jared murmured, “Is it?”

In the hierarchy of high school, sure, DJ was a rung or fifteen below the tiny blonde, but it was more than possible they really liked each other. They made cheesy rom-com movies about this exact thing all the time. It couldn't be as bad as Chad said. Although, judging by the puzzled looks from nearly everyone in their vicinity and even Jensen's own thunderous expression, maybe it was that unnatural.

God if Jensen felt that way...

His stomach sank.

He started running in earnest, rounding the curve where the couple was and keeping his eyes resolutely on the stretch of ground in front of him. He ignored Chad's cussing for him to slow down as he didn't have a good reason for leaving the conversation that didn't sound overly sensitive or like some bullshit parallel he was drawing to his own situation.

He was so focused on not looking at Jensen for the rest of the period, he missed as jade eyes followed him around the track up until the bell rang.

000

Ten minutes into the next period and Jensen was late.

Jared's thumb hovered over the Send arrow to a carefully composed text asking if everything was all right and if they were still on for today. Eventually he decided against it, pocketed his phone and made for the exit. Maybe it was another urgent Cheer meeting, but he couldn't shake the feeling it had something to do with what happened in gym earlier.

Was Jensen that upset over the mismatched couple? Or—or was he jealous? Did he have a thing for DJ? He wasn't Jared's type but maybe? Or had Jared just been assuming Jensen was gay and, despite a mountain of evidence, wanted Katie Cassidy for himself?

Those last two options made his brain flinch and fight to repel such notions.

As he drew closer to the library's long bank of windows that faced out into the hall, he saw a familiar figure. He paused. He watched as Jensen paced back and forth, scowling at the floor like it personally offended him. His eyebrows rose and fell and pulled together to animate whatever argument was taking place in the mind behind them.

Fascinated, Jared moved closer to the one inch of glass separating them. His own worries fell away seeing the other boy in such obvious turmoil. The sight made Jensen strangely more... real to Jared. Yes, he was still a male model and nothing short of perfection, but to witness a crack in his composure made this ethereal creature glaringly human.

Jared lamented the fact this display was only serving to make him like the boy even more. He was almost too scared to interrupt.

Holding his breath, he raised his hand and lightly tapped on the glass. Jensen ground to a halt and whirled around, his wide-eyed surprise pinning Jared to his spot. Jared, like an idiot, waved at him. A stretch of nothing but staring passed between them where the breath he'd been holding started to burn. Jensen bared a strained slash of teeth and jerked his chin towards the doors. Jared didn't know whether to be hurt when he didn't wave back. Nevertheless, he tripped over himself to meet the boy at the library doors.

“Sorry, I got held up,” was the first thing Jensen supplied once he breezed past and headed towards the first unoccupied table. Jared warily trailed after him, scrutinizing the tight set of his shoulders. It looked as though Jensen meant to slam his books down, but in his agitation, they toppled over the edge and crashed to the floor in a fantastic spray of papers. Jared jumped at the opportunity to help in some way and rushed over, dropping to his knees.

“It's okay, you don't need to do that,” Jensen said from above, sounding significantly less annoyed, but Jared waved him away. He was a klutz, so in matters such as this he was proficient. He paused on a random paper, inadvertently scanning its contents and, more importantly, the date.

“... Jensen?” He frowned. His mind quickly did the math. “We've been working on differential equations, right?”

A confused, “Yeah,” came in reply.

“But here you got a ninety five on a test all about them... a month ago.”

The miscalculations Jensen had been making in their practice sheets were markedly absent. He looked at the other boy in question, rising to his feet.

Jensen's full mouth worked to answer but no sound came out.

“You never needed any help... why did you ask me?” It didn't make any sense. There was no reason Jared could conceive for any of this. All that worry about failing and getting kicked off the squad wasn't true.

Jensen moved faster than Jared could comprehend. Hands seized both sides of his face and a pair of the softest lips crashed into his own. For several stunned seconds, all Jared could discern were the freckles on Jensen's eyelids and the thick fan of his lashes.

_Jensen!_

His brain rebooted and he stumbled back, ending their connection with a quiet smack. Twin spots of color drilled into his cheeks. He looked at the other boy like he'd grown a second head.

“Jared,” Jensen started, but Jared didn't stick around to hear anymore. He dropped the papers in his hands and allowed his legs to carry him out of the library at the speed of his racing heart. He fumbled for the door to the soundtrack of Jensen calling for him, Mrs. Wallace's disapproval, and a smattering of applause.

_That's twice today_ , he realized hysterically.

The silence in the hallway was wonderfully deafening, and he could almost catch his breath.

What the fuck was that?!

Jensen Ackles, The Jensen Ackles, had kissed him.

His lips tingled, and he could still feel the press of the gorgeous boy's mouth all the way down to his toes.

Jensen had just kissed him.

He just had his first kiss.

000

“I need to talk to you. Now.” He hardly stopped long enough to make sure Chad mid-bite heard him and would hopefully understand enough to follow. He only knew his friend got it by the sounds of his bitching at Jared to slow down and asking what the hell was going on all the way to the football field bleachers. He sent up a silent Thank You to whoever was up there that the area was deserted.

“Now will you quit with the air of mystery and tell me what the fuck is going on?” Chad plopped down, munching on his burrito and watching Jared pace and chew viciously on his thumb nail. After three large bites complete with minimal chewing before swallowing and Jared still hadn't spilled, Chad became visibly concerned. He set his food aside and leaned forward. “You're starting to scare me now. What the hell happened?”

When Jared still didn't answer and the bit of skin pinched between his teeth started turning a slick, angry red, Chad jumped up and blocked his friend from completing his circuit, grabbing his shoulders and giving him a firm shake. “Dude, come on.” He smacked Jared's hand away from his mouth for good measure. Unfortunately, gnawing teeth transferred from an abused thumb to a swelling bottom lip, earning him an even rougher shake. It was enough to get Jared to stop and look at him. Chad's grip eased at the lost, wet-eyed panic on Jared's face, and he gently guided him to sit.

Arms pinned between his legs putting him in a hunch, Jared rocked with the build-up of chaotic energy inside him. He gazed at the familiar comfort of Chad's face, but seeing the worry there only made him feel guilty.

“Now.” Chad cleared his throat, uneasy. “Tell me what's going on.”

It was better to just spit it out.

In a daze, he whispered, “Jensen Ackles just kissed me.”

Chad's face showed no reaction like he hadn't heard him, so he tried again louder, “Jensen--”

“I heard you.” Chad dropped down beside him. “... just, uh, just tell me what happened.”

Jared did. He told him about Jensen arriving late and Jared helping him gather his fallen books and discovering evidence that Jensen never needed his help. Then, he told him about the earth-shattering feel of Jensen's mouth on his. A moment that persistently short-circuited his brain. When he was finished, the two sat there quietly staring out into the empty field. It didn’t feel any more real having said it all out loud.

Eventually Chad blew out a long breath. “So Mr. Wonderful lied about sucking at math in what looks to be an effort to spend time with you? And when you confront him about it, he kisses you?”

His voice tremulous, Jared replied. “I wouldn't use so few words, but... yeah.”

“And your first instinct was to run away?”

He swiped his tongue over the breeze drying his lips, and he swore he could taste the phantom press of Jensen's mouth. He nodded in answer.

“May I ask what the fuck you're doing out here talking to me when you could be sucking face with Ackles?”

Jared's neck popped with how fast he turned to his friend. “What?”

“You've been obsessed with the guy for the last three years. I repeat, what the fuck are you doing out here?”

“Because!” Jared exploded, hopping to his feet. There were a million reasons why, but nothing summed them all up as succinctly as, “What can a guy like me ever really offer a guy like Jensen? It doesn't make sense! You said it yourself at gym, Jensen and I would be weird and messed up. Guys like that don't go for guys like me.”

“Dude, I was talking about DJ and Katie. Is that a confusing situation? Yes. Are there some slight similarities? Sure, but you're light-years better than DJ. Have you met the guy? Or-or better yet, have you met Mr. Fizzles? That's the fucking sock puppet he whips out to answer questions in class. The teachers are constantly confiscating the damn thing, but lo and behold he has a new one the very next day which begs the question, does he make a new one each time or does he have a stockpile somewhere? It's nuts--”

“Chad,” Jared sighed. “Stay on topic, please.” Any other day he would be more than happy to discuss conspiracy theories surrounding a sock puppet with his best friend, but today just wasn't one of those days.

“Right, sorry.” Chad looked away, chagrined. “... let's be real, I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm just as shocked as you by all this. I'd never in a million, bazillion years think you'd have a legit chance with Ackles.”

Despite Jared's total agreement, he still flinched.

“Don't be like that. Hear me out. I thought worst case scenario, you would tutor him and go your separate ways; best case, you might become some sort of friends, but, Jare... if he likes you, like really likes you... then you may have to take it for what it is and stop putting yourself down about it.”

“And then do what, Chad?” Hysterical anger rippled through his limbs. “I might as well not even exist at this school--”

“Don't say that.”

“-- and now I'm supposed to believe that Jensen Ackles likes me? And if I follow what you're saying I should just -what- go ask him out?”

“That'd be a start.”

Both boy's heads whipped towards the newcomer and, whereas Jared's heart seized in his chest, Chad gave voice to their surprise by breathing a stunned, “Holy shit.” Standing at the edge of the bleachers was the subject of Jared's turmoil, beautiful and fidgeting in the sunlight.

Jared went ramrod straight, feeling heat climb his neck. “How--” He squeaked and stopped to clear his throat. “How long have you been standing there?”

Jensen shrugged and moved closer. “Not long, I swear. Danni said she saw you come out here and that you looked pissed, so I came to talk to you.”

“I'm just gonna... yeah.” Chad eased out from between them and tiptoed around Jensen. “I'll catch you later, Jare.” Behind the other boy's back he spun around and gesticulated wildly in what Jared loosely translated as _Talk to him—Good luck-- and Blow job_? The harsh glare Jared fixed him sent him scampering back to the school. With his friend's exit, Jared realized he was on his own.

“So...” Hand hooked over the back of his neck rubbing, Jensen sauntered closer and Jared's hackles rose. A dry chuckle left him. “Wow, this is awkward.”

The congenial smile he offered collapsed as quickly as it formed.

“Jared, I want to apologize. I shouldn't have done that.”

Whatever hope Chad had inspired plummeted. “It's okay. Really. Let's just forget about it.” Jared started to leave to find a hole to crawl into and maybe die in, but Jensen stopped him with a gentle hand on his chest. He jerked back from the touch, and Jensen's face twisted in anguish.

“That's what I mean. I shouldn't have kissed you like that. I don't even know if you're gay or at least bi, and I just forced myself on you. You're so cute, I panicked which is no excuse -at all- and for that, I'm sorry.”

A slight breeze could have knocked Jared on his ass. His brain was having trouble computing and was on the verge of lapsing into the Blue Screen of Death. His tongue felt numb and garbled the only phrase his poor brain latched onto. “... you think I'm cute?”

Gold lashes fluttered as Jensen's head shook minutely like he couldn't quite believe that's all Jared got out of his apology. “Yeah? You heard what I was saying around that, right?”

“Sure, sure...” He sat down on the bleacher as soon as the back of his knees bumped aluminum. The surreal quality of this conversation was forcing him to seriously question his sanity, not even for the first time today.

“... so are we okay? Again, I'm so sorry.”

“I'm gay,” he blurted and judging by Jensen's expression he wasn't expecting that response, but Jared feared there was no stopping the impending word vomit. “Like-- into guys gay, not-- not like the happy version. I think I'm suffering from shock if anything. But in case you wanted to –again-- I'm completely gay. No, uh, no objections over here if you get the urge to again-- but-- but only if you want to. I'm-- I'm going to stop talking now.”

_Real smooth, Padalecki._

Instead of running for the hills, Jensen gazed down at him with an enigmatic smile. “... duly noted,” he eventually replied. “How about we start with you walking me to my next class?”

Jared let out a long exhale and nodded, grateful for the out. He lurched to his feet like a bumbling marionette. He couldn't believe he basically just asked Jensen Ackles to kiss him -again- when the first time was an anomaly. They reached the halfway mark in their journey back to the school before all those dismal and troubled thoughts nipping at his heels finally got a good enough grip and stopped him in his tracks.

“When you say 'start' what does that mean? Is this-- Are we? I can't believe I'm asking you this, but do you like me? You kissed me, but you could have been having a spontaneous break from reality and done something you wouldn't normally do--”

“Are you calling me crazy?”

“No! No, never. I just don't get why you would--”

“Jared.” Jensen laid a hand over his galloping heart, bringing all of his babbling to a standstill. With all of this touching Jared was going to faint. ”Stop. I like you.”

He wilted as all that nervous energy dipped. “... but why? You're you and I'm... me.”

A look of pain flickered through Jensen's indulgent smile. “Has anyone ever told you you over think things?”

“Yes, Chad tells me all the time.”

“Listen, you're smart, generous, and kinda cute. What's not to like?”

This time his brain really did succumb to the Blue Screen of Death. Jensen really thought those things? About him? Something inside him shifted, and he could feel himself vibrating with the insane hour he just had. He couldn't stop looking at Jensen as he walked with him to his next class, Jensen occasionally meeting his eyes and flashing one of his patented flirty smiles (a sight Jared never thought would be for him).

While Jared's attention was centered on one person, he was oblivious to the sea of stares fixed on him.

000

He reared back in time for Chad to slam his locker closed for him. “Hey, what the--”

“Are you officially fucking dating Jensen Ackles?!”

Jared should look into getting a CAT scan, because there's only so many times in a day he could figuratively take a blow to the head. “Huh?”

“Dude, that's what everyone's saying. What the hell did I miss when I left you two alone?”

“Ev-everyone?” he questioned in a small voice. “Nothing. I- I mean we talked, but nothing was said about officially dating. Seriously Chad, listen to yourself, you know how insane that sounds?”

Without saying another word, Chad unlocked his phone and shoved it in Jared's face. There was no need to decipher what he was looking at since smart phones took such high quality pictures, and Jared could curse and kiss them for that. His eyes drifted from the crystal clear image someone must have snuck when Jensen had kissed him in the library to the speculative stares he was receiving now all up and down the hallway. His skin suddenly felt tight and ill-fitting.

“Read the caption.” His eyes scanned above the picture where bold letters proclaimed, **Did someone finally catch Jenny?**

There wasn't enough air left in his lungs to push out, “Where did you find this?”

“Twitter.”

“Twitter?!”

“Yeah, let me put it this way: If our school had any sway in such things, you'd be fucking trending right now.”

Legs weak, the lockers beside him took on the brunt of his weight. He shook his head. This was absolute madness. “People really care about this?”

“Dude, it's a big deal. You know as well as I do that Jensen Ackles doesn't date anyone; he hooks up. Of course, people are gonna be interested in who pinned him down--”

“But we're not dating.”

_He likes me, he said so, but he could change his mind at any second--_

_Oh God, Jensen!_ Had he seen any of this? A sinister voice in his head hissed, _Of course and he's mortified._

“Jare, you okay, buddy?” Chad ducked into view of his absent gaze. “So... I know now might not be the best time to ask but... if you and Ackles are a thing, do you think you could help me get in good with Sophia Bush?”

He was never so happy the school day was over.

“Leaving now,” he mumbled, spinning on his heel and making for the nearest exit. Through the hang of his hair, he could see people looking at him and pointing him out to each other with their phones open in their hands.

Needless to say, it was a unique experience and -fuck- if it wasn't awful.

000

“This is such bullshit! I make Puppet Boy practically jizz in his shorts in front of everyone at gym, but he's the one getting all the attention?”

“Making someone mess their shorts isn't the point of all this.”

“I know, I know, but seriously? Everyone's losing their shit over some lame ass kiss?”

Danneel grinned. “What can I say, Jenny has a certain something about him. And besides... this isn't a race; it's a marathon.”

000

_You sort of disappeared after school. Are you ok? By now I guess you saw the pic_

His leg jittered as it hung off the side of the bed while he sat hunched over his phone, eyes burning holes into the text from Jensen. The edge of his teeth bit into his knuckles where his fist supported his head. He had thought it was another message from Chad in a slew of messages checking on him and _Just kidding about the whole Sophia thing but seriously could u?_ But to see Jensen's name at the top of the screen jolted his insides with excitement and dread. The cursor blinking above his keypad was mocking him.

A light knock at his door startled him, and he had just enough time to slam a pillow over his phone before his door flung open. “Yeah?” he yelped, heart racing.

It took his older brother, Jeff, point two seconds to incorrectly assess the situation. His mouth curled into a sly grin. “Were you watching porn?”

“No!”

“Hmmm.” He meandered closer. “Let's see about that!” And with those words, he pounced for the pillow, launching both brothers into a full out wrestling match. Where they were nearly matched in height, Jeff had the muscles which gave him the advantage and with a good shove that sent Jared tumbling over the other side of the bed, he managed to get a hold of his quarry.

“Ooo, who's Jensen? And what pic? Is it a naughty one? Bro, tell me you're not sending dick pics. You know you have to have a dick first.”

Jeff may have the strength, but Jared had a full arsenal of little brother tricks to fighting dirty. He sprung from the floor and landed on Jeff's back, pinching fingers at the ready; Jeff's nips didn't stand a chance.

“Ow, fuck!” The phone toppled from his hand, and Jared snatched it.

“No one and it's none of your business. Don't touch my stuff.”

Jeff winced, rubbing at his chest. “Fine, like I care if you send racy texts to your boyfriend.”

“He's not my--” His fist clenched around his phone. “Why are you even home right now?”

Folding his arms behind his head, Jeff made himself comfortable on Jared's bed. “Needed a break before the end of year madness so I decided to take a long weekend before melting my brains from studying. A mental rejuvenation, if you will.”

Their mother's voice called up the stairs. “What was that thud?! You two better not be fighting already!”

“We're not!” Both brothers yelled back in unison, Jeff's easy grin cracking Jared's stoic resolve.

“Well, thank goodness for that. Come on down, dinner's ready!”

Jeff groaned as he dragged himself off the bed. “Yes, please, a home cooked meal. I'm telling you, Jare, cherish mom's cooking while you still can before it's all ramen and ketchup sandwiches.”

“Hey Jeff?”

Noticing his younger brother's worried expression, Jeff paused. “What's up?”

Chewing on his lip, Jared fidgeted with the phone in his hands. “... could you not mention any of--” He waved his phone. “--to Mom and Dad, even just jokingly?”

“Sure, man, whatever you say.” Jeff nodded, all playfully cruel older brother gone, replaced with the brother who Jared had gone to first when he'd been ready to come out. Jeff had held him as he cried and had his back when he eventually worked up the courage to tell their parents. Now, he slung an arm over Jared's shoulders and walked him to the door.

In an effort to switch subjects, Jared said, “Ketchup sandwiches?”

Jeff's stomach gurgled, face solemn. “Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.”

Jared ducked out from under his arm with a burst of laughter and together they raced down the stairs, Jeff winning with desperate starvation on his side.

000

With so much going on in his head, it was a blessing for Jeff to come home for a visit and take the family's attention off him. Dinner conversation revolved around how Jeff was doing in his classes and how he was preparing for his final exams and amusing anecdotes about the new friends he had made. His sly winks and exaggerated exclamations of, “No, sir, not a drop of alcohol, I'm underage, sir” made Meg snort and his mother sigh. Jared appreciated the fact that his parent's preoccupation kept their focus off him and his lack of appetite.

Once everyone was finished, Jeff sat back with a satisfied belch.

“Jeffrey Padalecki!” his mother scolded.

Jeff patted the round curve of his stomach. “It's a compliment, ma. Everything was fantastic. You're still the best cook in Texas.”

The small, pleased grin their mother tried to hide behind her napkin triggered a round of agreements across the table. When she rose to start collecting plates, Jeff lurched forward and batted away her efforts.

“Mom, no. I've got this. You've done more than enough. Let me clean up.”

“That's very sweet of you, thank you.”

“Yeah, almost too sweet.” Meg squinted at him as she took a sip of her milk. Once again Jared was thankful to be all but forgotten by his parents and especially his bratty, little sister.

The rest of the family watched as their mother's face passed through the five stages of grief and settled on wary acceptance. “... how much laundry did you bring with you?”

Jeff, golden son that he was, merely flashed a boyish grin as he disappeared into the kitchen, his arms loaded with soiled dishware. Amidst his dad's chuckling and his mom's long suffering sigh, Jared found himself opening his mouth, “I'll help him,” he said and followed his brother.

Jeff's surprise at Jared's unexpected help was glossed over by opening the dishwasher. “I'll rinse, you load since Mom gets all O.C.D. about it.”

“And if anyone gets yelled at, it'll be me?”

“Ah, young Padawan is learning.” His brother shot a toothy grin over his broad shoulder before turning back to his work at the sink. “Now come on, get your scrawny ass over here. I'm getting backed up.”

Jared reminded himself he'd volunteered to do this for a reason. He got to work, debating on how to bring it up. As if Jeff sensed to keep quiet, the only sound in the kitchen was the clinking of dishes and the running faucet. Eventually though, Jared came to the conclusion that however he started, his brother would find a way to make fun of him, so he decided to just take the plunge.

“Jeff? As a completely hypothetical question, how would I know per se whether I'm -I don't know- dating another person?” He cringed.

Jeff's thick eyebrows furrowed at the handful of silverware he was rinsing off. “Well... I guess it depends on if it's any different when it's two guys.”

Alarms began wailing in his head. “I don't know, is there a difference?”

Was there? Should he have done some sort of research first? He fumbled the knives and forks passed to him once he realized this conversation **was** his research.

“Relax, I was just kidding. My roommate's into dudes and there's not much of a difference as far as I can see, but then again I could be wrong.”

“Knowing you, you're probably totally wrong.” The reflexive jab earned him a splash of water, and he laughed a little.

“Well, cough it up, dorkus, you're not giving me a whole lot to go off of here. How do you not know whether you're dating someone--”

“It was hypothetical--”

“Is this about _Jen-sen_?”

“No! Shut up!”

The way Jeff crooned Jensen's name marked the point Jared regretted starting this Q&A. Sadly, it was past the point of no return. He ignored his brother's knowing grin in favor of peeking out of the kitchen to find his parents settled in the living room, absorbed in their program, and Meg nowhere to be seen.

“Come on.” Jeff switched off the water and dried his hands. “The dishes can wait. Let's got out back.”

The moment Jared stepped out into the chilly night, he felt just the tiniest bit better. He filled his lungs with the bite of crisp air. Together, he and Jeff settled down on the deck steps. The light at their backs stretched their shadows across the yard only to be swallowed up by the darkness beyond. He wrung his hands together, wishing he hadn't opened his big, dumb mouth in the first place.

“So...” Jeff's shoulder bumped into his. “Tell me about Jensen.”

“There's not much to tell.”

“And...?”

“And there's no 'and.'”

“Oh, there's definitely an 'and,' so spill.” The second knock to his shoulder almost sent him toppling off the step and into the grass.

“He's a guy I was tutoring.” When Jared righted himself, he made sure to put plenty of distance between them. At Jeff's gesture to continue, he rolled his eyes. “It turns out he didn't need my help and when I confronted him about it he, um, he ki- kissed me.” As Jeff started nudging him in excitement, he plowed ahead with the issue. “But it doesn't really matter because he's gorgeous and popular and everybody loves him and I don't really stand a chance, but there's this photo now and people think we're dating--”

“You must stand some sort of chance if he kissed you. Do you not like the guy?”

The sudden burst of laughter he aimed at his brother's serious expression was loud enough to set off the Anderson's dog next door.

“Okay so that's not the issue... Are you not Out at school?”

His smile dampened. “I haven't gone around waving a Pride flag, but I suppose I am. It's not really a big deal. Most people don't even care to know my name, let alone if I'm gay. Besides every guy is a little gay for Jensen anyway, so being out isn't really my issue.”

“Every guy? You're going to have show me a pic of this guy when we go back inside, but hearing that is a relief. So, what is the issue?”

He blew out a long breath. It felt like he'd had this talk a million times today. “Well 1) He's perfect and I'm not; 2) He's crazy popular and I'm very much not; and 3) I've been in love with him for years and all of a sudden he likes me? It just doesn't make any sense.”

“Ah, to be a young junior in high school,” Jeff sighed fondly.

“Shut up, you're only three years older than me.”

“Well, three years make a difference. Shit is way different in college. Like for one being popular in high school doesn't mean shit--”

“You were popular--”

“So that makes me the expert here, hush. Popularity is trivial, so just forget about that.”

Jared's brows flew to his hairline. _Trivial?_ Maybe Jeff was doing more in college than partying and chasing girls.

“And you already contradicted yourself. If this Jensen kid is so perfect, how come he likes your goofy ass?”

“Jeff,” Jared groaned. Just when he was starting to think his brother had something worthwhile to say.

“Okay, okay, sorry, I couldn't resist.” Jeff paused when Mr. Anderson stuck his head out to call his dog back in and both brothers exchanged moon white smiles when their neighbor's language turned more colorful before eventually all was quiet again. So quiet Jared startled when Jeff continued. “I have yet to hear a legitimate excuse from you. If you like him and he likes you, that's awesome. Go with it. As far as dating exclusively, well that's something you have to talk to him about.”

“I wish there was a way for you to fully grasp how absurd what you just said is.” He scrubbed at his face in slow, skin-dragging pulls. It couldn't be that easy; something in Jared's brain just couldn't allow that.

“It's not absurd. Why are you fighting so hard with the idea this boy likes you? I know you're not the most confident guy, but there has to be a point where you shut down all those insecurities and go for it... What? Why are you grinning?”

Jared shook his head. “Chad said something along the same lines.”

Revulsion rolled off his brother in waves. Jeff's annoyance at all things Chad was a running joke in their household. The feeling was more than mutual, even though no one had the guts to point out it was because the two were so similar.

“I suppose the little fucker used up his last two brain cells for that bit of common sense.”

Jared failed to stifle his amusement at the bitterness in Jeff's voice, and his poor bicep paid the price for it. As he hissed and massaged his deadened arm, Jeff climbed to his feet and pointed a finger in his face.

“You do realize that it's an absolute truth if fucking Chad and I agree, so you have no choice but to listen.” Jared flinched when Jeff's hand came toward him but it only clasped him on the shoulder and squeezed. “Get ready. Big Brother Advice Time: Stop being a pussy and ask Mr. Perfect out on a date. The worst that could happen is he says no and even that's not the end of the world. Take a chance.”

Looking away from that stern gaze, Jared bobbed his head and mumbled,” Okay, thanks.”

The hand on his shoulder retreated. When Jared thought his brother was at the door about to head inside, a hard flick stung his earlobe. As he cried out and clutched the side of his head, Jeff's voice gleefully rang out, “And that's for flinching!”

“Dick!” Jared gasped. No way in hell was he going to help his brother finish cleaning the kitchen now. That little chat physically hurt more than it should have, but damn it if Jeff hadn't made some sense out of the day.

As crazy as it was... maybe his brother was right.

000

Since talking to Jeff last night all the way through the morning he must have talked himself in and out of it at least a couple thousand times. Chad gave him plenty of shit as soon as he saw him but seemed to sense his complaints were falling on deaf ears. Even Jared's teachers unknowingly suffered the same treatment. His mortifying presentation in English yesterday was a distant, almost forgotten memory.

Jared only had one thing -one goal- on his mind.

Gym class was his first real chance. Every fleeting glance of the beautiful, blond-haired boy between classes in the halls nailed Jared to his spot. The needle on the imagined Yes/No dial in his brain always jumped to a thumping **No-No-No** during those occasions. Those times he absolutely wasn't ready, but this time... He still wasn't ready, but he was going to do it... in his smelly, wrinkled uniform-- but he wasn't going to dwell on that.

With the Texas spring weather holding strong, Coach Beaver decided to once again have a Track and Field day. Even with his height, Jared coudn't find Jensen as he distractedly followed Chad towards the Shot Put area. As Chad put it, he felt like “throwing shit.”

Chad's skinny arm shook under the weight of the metal sphere. “Maybe he's out sick.”

Jared didn't respond, eyes scanning the clusters of students.

“Murray! Put that down before you hurt your fool self!”

The ball dropped to the grass with a heavy thump at the same time, “Hey Jared” came from behind him and his stomach joined the shot put on the ground. He spun around and there was Jensen, looking fresh and well rested and not at all like he'd been up half the night tossing and turning like Jared.

“H-hey,” his voice cracked. His mind swept clean of his goal. Had the temperature jumped twenty degrees?

“Did you get my text yesterday?” The worried dip of Jensen's brow had Jared babbling the easiest excuse he could come up with other than the truth of _I was too chicken to answer._

“Yeah, yes, sorry, I did. My brother came into town yesterday. He's visiting from college so I... forgot.”

He thought of the easiest excuse, not the strongest.

Chad groaned coming up to his side. “Aw, shit. Fucking Jeff's home? That blows. You're dragging your ass to my house then.”

Stiffly Jared turned to Chad, his smile strained. “Um, Chad? Do you mind...?”

It took the natural squint of Chad's eyes several seconds for them to widen in understanding. “Oh! I'm just gonna... go work on my... high jumping.”

Jared didn't wait for Chad to leave, facing back towards Jensen and apologizing, but Jensen waved it away. “It's okay. I have a brother in college, too, and he drops by whenever he wants, generally plunging the house into chaos so I get it.”

“Exactly,” Jared murmured and an uneasy silence fell between them. He knew it was his turn to say something, but every time he opened his mouth his tongue insisted on sticking to the roof of it.

At least Jensen didn't seem to have that problem.

“I'm just going to call out the elephant in the room: That picture. I'm sorry about that. People are dumb, and this school has an unhealthy obsession with my love life--” Jared's jaw dropped. “--and you strike me as a fairly private person--” A nice way of saying neurotic introvert. “-- so I'm really sorry if I embarrassed you.”

“Em- embarrassed me?”

“And my friends threatened to kick my ass after hearing how I left things yesterday, so I wanted to ask--”

“Date!” Jared exclaimed, his primary objective for the day coming back to him like a sledgehammer to the head. Heat rushed up his neck and flooded his cheeks at Jensen's stunned expression. He cleared his throat and carefully asked, “Would you maybe want to go on a date? With me?”

Jared braced himself, heart in his throat, as Jensen blinked like he didn't quite understand what he just heard. Jared forgot how to breathe as he watched a small, uncertain smile creep onto the other boy's face.

“... you want to take me on a date?”

Scarlet-faced, he jerked his head in confirmation, unaware of the scattered audience they had. Crystal green eyes studied him through sun-tipped lashes as Jensen rolled his bottom lip between his teeth. Jared was so enraptured by the sudden rush of blood that colored his lip when he released it and the tongue that swept over the reddened flesh that he thought he misheard him when he said, “I think I'd like that.”

The breath he'd been holding left his lungs in burning relief. “Really?” he rasped.

Jensen nodded, his smile twitching.

Overcome with elation and disbelief, Jared realized he hadn't thought beyond asking Jensen out and the unlikely event of him saying yes. At the moment, he needed to lay down.

“Saturday?” Jensen suggested.

This was real. Jensen Ackles wanted to go on a date with him. _Him!_

His cheeks ached from how hard he was smiling. He opened his mouth to agree but another voice interjected.

“Jensen, aren't you forgetting there's a game on Saturday? Those Lacrosse boys aren't going to cheer for themselves.” A tanned arm snaked around Jensen's shoulders, and his smile hardened.

“Hey Katie,” he ground out.

“Why make the poor boy wait longer than he has to? Why don't you invite him to join us at lunch?” Katie Cassidy looked between them with a smirk. A few paces behind her, DJ Qualls stood fretting and waiting.

As Jared looked carefully between both cheerleaders, Jensen kept his gaze solely on him. Around his smile his jaw flexed and shifted and cracked open for him to say, “Sure, but only if Jared wants to.”

“Oh, of course he does.” Katie angled a dazzling smile at him.

“Uh...” His forehead wrinkled. “Sure?”

He hoped that was the correct answer. Jensen and Katie's smiling faces each adopted different shades, but he couldn't distinguish why.

“Great!” Katie squeezed Jensen's arm before letting go. “I'll see you two later.” With that, she skipped away, grabbing DJ's hand and dragging him along behind her.

“Fuckin' bitch,” Jensen muttered after checking over his shoulder to make sure she was gone. At Jared's taken aback expression, he shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Don't ask.”

“Kay...” During that exchange with Katie, his excitement had dimmed and slipped into doubt. “Hey, if you don't want me to sit with you at lunch, I get it--”

“No, it's not that. I just don't want to inflict my friends on you.”

The tightening in his stomach eased. “You've already met Chad, they can't be any worse.”

“Right,” Jensen conceded sounding like his mind had gone elsewhere.

A gratingly familiar whistle trilled. “Ackles! And -er- you next to Ackles, get back to it!”

“Well, it's back to running for me.” Jensen thumbed at the track, moving backwards.

“Um--” Jared's hand flew out to stop him as he staggered over the shot put Chad had left behind. “About Saturday?”

“We'll figure it out later. See ya at lunch!”

Like an idiot, Jared waved goodbye, his eyes helplessly falling to the bouncing of a sinfully round ass in tight gym shorts as Jensen jogged towards the track. He was going on a date with that.

In his daze, he didn't notice Chad coming back to stand beside him, his head tilting close to see what his friend was so entranced by. Jared jumped. “Dude!”

Chad turned towards him with an innocent blink. “What about lunch?”

000

“This is awesome! Man, I am so pumped!” Chad bounced around him.

Jared fiddled with his shoelaces as he sat on the bench in the locker room. By now almost everyone had cleared out in large part due to Jared's stalling. “Chad, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you are positively giddy.”

Chad straddled the bench still bouncing. “Of course! Do you have any idea how huge this is? Eating lunch with the Varsity elite is like hitting the jack pot.”

“Uh, how?” It didn't feel like hitting the jack pot with his stomach twisting into knots.

“Jare... if we had the time for me to explain it to you, I would, but we gotta get our asses moving. We're already late.” Chad smacked the tied laces out of his fingers and sprung to his feet.

Jared's phone buzzed, a message from Jeff.

_Remember don't be a pussy!!!_

His brother must be sitting at home bored and wanted to bug him, but Jared was going to take it for the sign that it was and give up on putting this off any longer.

“Okay, Chad,” he sighed, struggling to suppress his dread. “Let's go.”

The walk to the cafeteria felt a lot shorter than usual. He shuffled along the lunch line with Chad, but didn't buy anything for himself whereas Chad was loading enough food on his tray for three people. Jared's stomach rumbled watching him pay and struggle to carry it all. Automatically he headed towards their own table, but Chad with his phenomenal balancing skills, snagged Jared's arm and dragged him in the opposite direction while somehow not tipping his mountain of food. Once they were within steps of Chad's goal, Jensen jumped from his seat to meet them with a smile in place.

“Jared, hey, I was wondering where you were.” His eyes kept darting uncertainly to Chad.

Over Jensen's shoulder Jared made fleeting eye contact with everyone else at the table. “Sorry,” came out as a weak croak. “I had to, um, stop at my locker.”

“That's okay.” Jensen -holy shit- took him by the arm and reeled him forward. “Ready to meet my asshole friends?”

“Rude!” Sophia Bush gasped and clutched at her chest with a Cheshire grin.

Jared's forward momentum was cut short by Chad's sharp poke to his ribs. “Right! Um, is it cool if Chad joins, too?”

Jensen paused and directly addressed Chad, a look of remorse pinching his face. “I'm sorry I didn't realize you were tagging along. We really only have enough room for Jared. Maybe some other time?”

“If Chad can't--” Jared looked to his friend, but Chad was already shaking his head and backing away. An indecipherable slant to his face, his cheeks burning pink. “Nah, it's cool... I've got a paper due next period anyway. You go ahead, Jare.” He nudged Jared forward. “Go on.”

He watched, lost, as Chad retreated to their table across the room. Jared couldn't help but feel that's exactly where he should be.

Jensen pulled him to sit. “Everyone, this is Jared. Be nice. Jared, this is--” He rattled off a long list of names -most of which he already knew thanks to Chad and his penchant for gossip- but he nodded along and waved dumbly. He had to make himself stop doing that.

“So you're the infamous Jared we keep hearing all about.” Danneel Harris said from further down the table. Jared instinctively shrunk under her dark, measuring gaze.

“... you've heard about me?” The idea simply didn't mesh with his reality. He looked to Jensen for help, but Katie at Danneel's side leaned over and spoke like she was telling him a secret.

“Of course we have. Jenny here just will not shut up about you.” Her blue eyes flit to Jensen and the tension Jared had sensed on the track field was back again.

Jensen smiled and shot back in a pleasant tone. “Why don't you try and do what I couldn't, Katie, and shut up.”

Jared's skin prickled with the clear animosity between them, but the rest of the table just laughed. Directly across from him, Sophia ducked close. “Don't worry about them. They're always like that.” She righted herself into perfect posture. Come to notice, they all had amazing posture compared to Jared's shy hunch. Another thing he noticed was everyone at this table was scarily pretty. He twitched his head to angle his hair more over his face.

He stuck out like a sore thumb. He so did not belong here.

Sophia swept her shiny, russet hair behind her shoulders, and he felt a twinge for Chad. “Jared, it's not often we get to really know Jenny's... suitors. Tell us about yourself.”

_Suitors?_ His heart sank. Were there more?

A hand brushed his shoulder, drawing his attention to the tiny brunette on his other side. He couldn't remember her name but knew she was very attached to her phone like at this very moment for example. Jennifer or something like that?

“What's your Insta? You should follow me.”

He didn't know how to say he only had an empty account he mainly used to follow the boy beside him without sounding like a total stalker.

“Err, I don't really have one?”

Disinterested, brown eyes flicked up from her screen. “Okay... what's your Twitter?”

He shook his head.

“SnapChat?”

Another shake.

“WhatsApp? Tik Tok? Tumblr? Oh my God, fucking Facebook?!”

In the face of her stumped shriek, he could merely shrug and offer an apology. The dumbfounded looks he was receiving made him curl smaller into himself. She leaned across him to shoot an accusing glare at Jensen. “Even Katie's Puppet Boy has his own YouTube channel-- ow!” Her body jerked.

Sophia shot him a sunny smile. “What Genevieve means is it's kind of amazing that you don't have any social media.”

Jared stiffened and suddenly decided he could die happy when Jensen draped an arm over his shoulders. Such a warm and pleasant weight.

“Jared doesn't need all that crap. He's sweet and brilliant and doesn't need constant validation through likes and followers like _certain_ individuals.”

“Well said, Jensen,” Danneel asserted calmly over the onslaught of arguments that fell silent upon the fond look of approval on her face. For whatever reason even Katie appeared as if she'd swallowed a lemon.

Not for the first time since he sat down, Jared felt like he was missing something.

Jensen tipped his head toward him and spoke loudly enough for only Jared to hear. The hot puff of Jensen's breath against the side of his neck raised goosebumps up and down his arms. “Sorry, this is exactly what I was afraid of. Are you okay?”

Squeezing his legs tightly closed, Jared nodded.

“Hey where's your lunch? Aren't you hungry?”

As his stomach rumbled, his eyes drifted over the table where healthy snacks were daintily nibbled on, lingering on Jensen's own combination of dried fruit and granola. He felt out of place enough with his baggy clothes, distinct lack of good looks, and his apparent stunning lack of captioned selfies. He had enough to be self-conscious over without adding eating wrong or too much to the list.

“Had a big breakfast,” he mumbled.

“Awww, they're so cute!” Someone cooed and giggles sounded around them. Jared looked to see who they were talking about before he realized they meant him and Jensen. He blushed.

“Alright, that's enough,” Jensen grumbled.

“So, are you two dating?”

Katie's monotone voice cut through the titters like a dull blade. “Yeah, after Jenny's cute paparazzi moment yesterday, the world's _just_ **dying** to know.”

Jared sucked in a breath, terrified to move or dare a peek at Jensen in case it caused his arm to fall away or, worse, reject Jared entirely. To his utter shock though, the arm around him brought him closer against Jensen's side as Jensen's jaw squared.

“Not officially, no, but Jared asked me out on a date -hopefully more- in an effort for us to get to know each other like mature adults before entering into a relationship. Doing the whole I like-like you, you like-like me so we're automatically going out seems so... childish, wouldn't you agree, Katie? Oh and by the way, how is the new boyfriend doing?”

Sophia's hand flew over mouth as she snorted.

Beneath her sun-kissed tan, Katie's face darkened with heat. Her teeth bared.

Jared marveled at the clean, calm lines of Jensen's profile, the subtle upward tick of his full mouth. His heart was doing cartwheels. Between “not officially” and Jensen's sharp tongue, Jared itched to kiss him and propose.

“You know what, Ackles--” The blonde spat, but Danneel's placid voice cut her off.

“Let's leave the boys alone. We're giving Jared a bad impression.” Although her delighted grin and the shark-like glint in her eyes suggested otherwise. Jared watched in awe of the sway she held over everyone. Even Katie, who as of two seconds ago looked as if she was ready to wring Jensen's neck, bit back whatever she was going to say and stewed in her seat.

For the rest of lunch conversation turned to shockingly normal topics like classes and the game Saturday. Gradually Jensen relaxed enough to resume eating and even cracked a few jokes which made it plain to see Jared wasn't the only one at that table who adored him. Jared didn't ever exactly relax himself, but he thought he came close to it, laughing a few times with the group due to the microscope being off him and Jensen's arm being pressed against his. It had slid away eventually. Jared was taller; it must have hurt for as long as he had kept it there.

These popular girls knew his name, and he had Jensen Ackles next to him. The entire hour was scarily like a dream; one he was scared he could get used to.

000

“It was great meeting you, Jared,” Genevieve said, setting off a chorus of equally saccharine sentiments.

Not far behind them, the jocks who had been oddly yet thankfully absent drew close with confused stares.

“You'll sit with us again tomorrow, right?” Sophia waited until he bobbed his head and mumbled his assent.

The bell rang and students filtered slowly out of the cafeteria. He searched for Chad -unaware of the curious eyes on him- but his friend seemed to have already left. Jared sort of assumed his friend would be chomping at the bit to ask him how it went, but maybe his last minute essay took priority. Whatever, Jared would catch him after school.

He turned to find Jensen speaking closely with Danneel. There was a sour pinch to his features as he listened and nodded along to the redhead's grin-shaped words. Green eyes fell on him and stuck, and he said something to her. She leaned around him and wiggled her fingers at Jared, smiling sweetly. Jared slowly returned the gesture, feeling cavities bloom under her direct focus. As Jensen put his back to her to head towards Jared, his eyes bugged and his rosy lips blew out a relieved breath, getting them both to grin.

“So you survived.”

“Barely,” he chuckled, a little hysterical.

Jensen flicked his wrist with a _pfft_. “That's nothing. Wait till a post-game party and everyone is there. That's rough.”

“You...” Jared hiked his book-bag higher on his shoulder just to give his hands something to do. He had spoken maybe a handful of times throughout lunch and probably smiled and laughed at the wrong things. His only accomplishment was embarrassing the gorgeous boy walking next to him. “You want me around for things like that?”

“Uh, yeah? Of course, why wouldn't I?” Jensen's brows quirked like Jared had said something ludicrous.

“... cool.” Aided by the hair falling in his face, he hid the gleeful show of dimples he aimed towards the floor.

“I'm headed this way.” The pair came to a stop amongst a swarm of students. Jared remembered from yesterday that Jensen's next class was on the opposite side of the building from his own. “I'll text you after practice.”

“I'll keep my phone right next to me. I'll even turn the volume up, just in case. I'll text back this time, I promise.” He slammed his eyes closed. What the fuck did he say all that for?

“Okay... later, Jared.”

“Later.” He remained in his spot, kicking himself as the other boy let the crowd carry him away. It's like his body sensed it had been twenty-four hours since Jensen had kissed him and all the craziness that happened since and it put itself through a factory reset back to awkward and weird.

He had just had lunch with varsity cheerleaders as his crush's someday boyfriend; he needed to get his shit together.

000

At least Chad was there at his locker after school like usual. Jared was right in his assumption that he would be thoroughly grilled about his “time amongst hot chick royalty.”

“Dude, you keep prattling on about Jensen. Now focus, how was Sophia? Is she single and ready to mingle?”

“I don't know anything about that, but she's really nice and Jensen--”

Chad dropped his face into his hands. “Enough-about-Jensen-for-the-love-of-God.”

Jared bit his lip, dismayed. He didn't think he talked about Jensen that much. “... I wish you could have sat with us.”

An idea lit up Chad's eyes. “Hey, maybe I could tomorrow. You said they invited you back, right? You could just ask them, and in no time Sophia will fall for the Chadster or at least one of those cheer bunnies will. So you'll ask?”

“Uhhh...” Something inside him that he didn't want to reflect too hard on shied away from the idea. Those popular, beautiful people wanted to get to know him better, just him. Jared did everything with Chad, and he wanted to have this all to himself if only for a little while longer, as selfish as that was.

“Chad, I don't think I should. I'm only there because of Jensen, so I can't really ask if they could make space for my friend, y'know? And it's already so full up--”

“Never mind. It's fine.”

Jared tried to stamp down the guilt that swelled inside him. In a small voice, he asked, “Fortnite at my house?”

His friend stared at him long enough he was sure Chad was mad at him until he sneered. “Fuck no. Jeff's at your house. Let's play at mine. My dad's got a few beers he won't miss.”

Oh thank Jesus. His worry died away. He could certainly go for a beer.

000

The normalcy of sitting in Chad's basement, talking shit while trying to blow each other up was just what he needed, even if Chad cussed him out whenever he dropped his controller to grab his phone and answer Jensen back.

It was a new and nothing short of wonderful experience to have someone wanting to hear from him. The fact that it was Jensen Ackles messaging him about little nothings made his insides flutter like mad. He ignored Chad's grumbling in favor of the joy that spiked in him whenever his phone went off. If Chad had several more beers his dad would surely notice were gone, Jared's thumbs were too busy flying over his keyboard to be concerned.

000

By the time he'd gotten home, Jeff was out with some local friends so Jared didn't get the chance to tell him the good -amazing, unbelievable, extraordinary- news. Although the when of his date with Jensen was still TBD. Good thing he didn't have to wait long to find out.

After a slew of javelin and jumping related incidents, Coach Beaver seemed content to just make his class run laps while he extolled the virtues of long distance running.

“Now I want each of you focused on your runnin'. No cute jogging buddies or groups. If I see any of that, I'm breaking it up. Now get goin'!”

Needless to say, it was a miserable time, granted probably not as bad of time as Chad was having. Those extra beers from last night washed him out a pasty white in the sun and seemingly strapped fifty pounds to each of his legs. He moved at a snail's pace around the track, so much so he acted as a beacon for Beaver's vitriol. Jared could only wince in sympathy as he managed to lap his poor friend, not once but twice. He was hitting his limit himself, seeing in the distance that runner's wall rushing up to meet him.

“Hey,” huffed at his side and he jerked, stuttering his rhythm. They'd been out here for what had to be forever in this heat but one wouldn't know it looking at Jensen. Aside from a light flush to his cheeks, he jogged at a smooth pace and had yet to break a sweat, unlike Jared who at that moment became hyper aware of the dripping mess he had become.

“Hey,” he gasped back, instantly regretting it because every ounce of air in his lungs was to be rationed.

Jensen raised his brow at him in amused worry. “You okay?”

Jared learned his lesson and flashed a shaky thumbs up. God, he was so out of shape. His humiliation was eclipsed by the need to breathe and the effort to put one foot in front of the other.

“Are you sure? You look like you're about to collapse.”

He jerked his head with a sturgeon frown. His dragging feet caught on the track, but he recovered.

“Okay, if you say so.” Looking forward, Jensen's lips curled. “So how's your day going?”

Inhaling deeply, Jared eeked out, “Good, fine. You?”

The width of Jensen's shoulders pulled into a shrug. “Meh, just another day. But I was thinking.”

Jared didn't know if his heart launching into cardiac arrest was due to the exercise or the trepidation he felt at Jensen's words. In his experience, “thinking” was never good.

“Why don't we just go out tonight?”

Jared's foot snagged harder, and this time he really tripped. Throwing his arms out in front of him, he took long, off-kilter steps to avoid hitting the ground, slowing to a stop. Jensen seized his arm to help keep him upright.

“Whoa, are you okay?” The other boy stooped over to check on him, but Jared couldn't answer. Now that his momentum had come to a halt, he doubled over, the lack of oxygen making him dizzy.

Why did he even try to keep up with Jensen?

“Hey Loser, walk much?” Amell scoffed as he passed by, but not before swiftly jogging backwards to shoot a wink at Jensen. “Sup, Jenny?”

Jensen gave the jock a bright smile and ground out through his teeth, “God how I hate that fucking nickname.”

Despite his dry heaving, Jared cocked his head at Jensen.

“What? I may be pretty, but I'm not a girl.”

“No.” Jared gulped in some air, feeling on his way back to normal. “No, you certainly are not... a girl, I mean! You're very pretty.”

Too bad his normal didn't mean all around normal.

“Are you sure you're okay?”

Before Jared could insist he was fine, Beaver shouted from his cozy spot on the bleachers. “You right there! Ackles! Less hand holding and more running!”

Jensen blinked down at the hold he still had on Jared's arm, released it, and took a tiny step back. A runner's cramp clenched high in Jared's chest as he followed Jensen into an easy pace, his legs moving like they were slogging through mud. Jensen kept checking over his shoulder on him.

“We can plan for a different night if tonight doesn't work--”

“No!” He dug deep and pushed himself to catch up with the other boy. He couldn't let this date slip through his fingers; Jensen could change his mind at any moment, and Jared was still thanking whatever brain injury afflicted this gorgeous boy for making any of this possible. “Tonight works perfectly. I-- I was even going to suggest it, but you beat me to it.”

Jensen didn't seem entirely convinced, but he didn't question it further. “Okay... I've still got practice later so what do you think, seven 'o clock?”

“Seven sounds perfect.”

“Okay, so I'll pick you up--”

“No, no, I'll pick you up. I asked you, didn't I?” He would just have to borrow one of his parent's cars, and that way Jensen wouldn't have to interact with anyone in his family, especially Jeff.

“Cool, I'll give you my address at lunch.”

“Perfect!”

Was he saying perfect too much? Oh shit, this was panic. He was panicking.

“Uh Jensen? On second thought, could you just text it to me? I forgot I have this, um, thing next period so I'm gonna miss lunch.”

Where the fuck was Chad?

000

It turned out, Chad was useless.

Being dragged into an empty classroom for emergency brainstorming was not conducive for a happy, helpful Chad when all he wanted to do was eat. With his face smooshed by the hand propping his head up, he looked thoroughly unimpressed with his best friend's predicament. Chad could only tiredly suggest they go to the movie theater.

Hours later, Jared was buried in his closet, snatching up random shirts and holding them up to the mirror before throwing them to the side with a disgusted huff. He owned a frightening amount of loose, graphic t-shirts.

“What the hell's going on in here?” He spun around. Jeff tiptoed through the disaster zone of what used to be Jared's bedroom until he reached the bed, giving up and shoving aside a pile to sit. “What are you doing?”

At this point Jared had no pride left. He wilted and the shirts in his hands hung limp at his sides. “Help, please.”

Jeff's eyes darted from the clothes scattered about to the thin sheen of sweat Jared hadn't managed to shake since gym class and finally landed on the unabashed fear on his little brother's face. His frown rose into a shit-eating grin. “He said yes.”

He twitched his head in confirmation. The words punched out of him. “I'm supposed to pick him up at seven, and I have nothing to wear.”

“Relax.” Jeff kicked back. “It's not like you have to wear your Sunday's best. It depends on where you're going and what you're planning on doing. What's the plan?”

Jared paled. “... plan?”

Jeff's amusement faded with dawning horror. “No, nonono, tell me you have a plan.” At his brother's silence, Jeff slapped a hand over his face. “You don't know where you're taking the boy and you're freaking out about clothes?”

“... well, when you put it like that,” he mumbled, balling up the shirts in his hands and tossing them behind him.

“So, you were gonna pick him up and then what? Stare at him?”

Jared threw his arms up, his nerves multiplying and exploding out of him. “I don't know! I don't know what I'm doing. I've never been on a date before. This was all sprung on me. I'm so fucked right now. I should cancel. I'm gonna call-- no, text him that I can't make it.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Jeff hopped up from the bed and approached Jared like the scared, cornered animal he was. “You're not canceling, and you're not fucked. We can fix this. Big bro is here to save the day. Now, first thing's first, do you have any ideas?”

Jared's gaze wandered around the room, lost. “Um, Chad suggested going to see a movie?”

“Nope, bad idea. What else you got?”

“What, why? People go on dates to the movies all the time.”

“Yeah, people who are already dating. Sitting in a dark room for two hours where you can't talk is not a good way to get to know each other. You need to be able to talk. That's it.” Jeff snapped his fingers with an imaginary light bulb over his head. “K.I.S.S.”

The long slope of Jared's nose scrunched in confusion. “Kiss? As awesome and ideal as that would be, I don't think Jensen will be down for strictly making out on the first date.”

“Dude, no, but I like where your head's at. Be a gentleman. I mean K.I.S.S. as in 'keep it simple, stupid.'”

“And that means what for me?”

“Stick to the basics. You're picking him up at seven, correct?”

“Correct.”

“Straight up romantic dinner. Boom. Done deal.”

Yeah, that sounded wildly simple. The doubt must have shown, because Jeff sighed and sat him on the bed.

“You've seen movies. When you hear romantic dinner, you think of...?”

Jared blushed and bit his lip, shaking his head.

“Help me, help you. Spit it out, Jare.”

Hanging his head, he mumbled his answer.

“What was that?”

He sighed through his teeth as he glared at his brother. “Lady and the Tramp, okay? Ya happy now?”

Jeff stood there momentarily stunned, his mouth working like a goldfish's. “O-okay... I'm going to file that information away for another day to torture you with, but for now I'm going to acknowledge that it's a decent start, although I find it highly unlikely that dream boy will be all that keen on eating in a dank alley.”

“That's not-- It's just what I think of, okay?”

Jeff chuffed out a laugh. “You'd be the tramp, right? You do have a mongrel look about you.”

“Shut up.”

“I can just picture you using that pointy nose of yours to roll a meatball across the plate--”

“What happened to putting a pin on making fun of me?”

“You're right, I'm sorry.”

Jared just then remembered something vital, and he dropped his head into his hands. “Dinner's not gonna work anyway. It's a Friday night, everywhere is going to be packed. I've got a better chance of getting into Whataburger.”

“Whataburger's delicious. Maybe you could--”

“I can't do that,” he sighed. “I need this to be perfect.”

He imagined Jensen being dazzled by a magical evening of fancy food and music and candlelight and Jensen would fall madly in love with him.

“See, that's your problem: You're putting too much pressure on yourself. We'll figure something out. Now breathe.”

With great effort, he inhaled and forced the air back out through the tight ring of his lips.

“Do you feel better?”

He shook his head no.

Jeff laughed and slapped him on the back. “Okay, let's do this.”


	2. Chapter 2

Hours later Jared was walking up to Jensen's house on jello legs. Driving into the neighborhood of large, nearly identical two-story houses with yards so neat and lush his dad would probably orgasm on sight, ramped his nerves up tenfold. He reached a shaky hand towards his hair before snatching it back. With Jeff's help, they'd worked to tame it and combed it back from his face. Feeling the breeze on his fore (five) head was an uncomfortable sensation, but Jeff insisted it looked good so he would just have to trust him. The black polo shirt Jeff had dug up from the back of his own closet was a little on the big side, but it was better than his own assortment of t-shirts. He came to a stop on the welcome mat, staring at the intimidatingly cheery blue door. Reaffirming the sweaty grip he had on the modest bouquet of flowers in his other hand, he took a deep breath before reaching for the doorbell. If his blood pressure wasn't skyrocketing enough, he almost suffered a mass arterial rupture when the doorknob jiggled, and worse, when the door finally opened.

“Yes?” Eyes very similar to Jensen's but lined with age looked him up and down, unimpressed. The older man filling the doorway had to be Jensen's father. “Can I help you?”

Despite Jared being taller, he shrunk under Mr. Ackles' withering glare. “H-hi, is -um- Je- Jensen home?”

Thick arms crossed over a barrel chest. “And who's asking?”

“Jared? Um, Jared Pada- Padalecki. We were supposed to, uh...”

Nowhere in Jeff's coaching did he mention the off chance of meeting any parents. He'd only stressed acting like a gentleman and being attentive. Had Jensen not mentioned he had a date? Granted Jared's parents were under the assumption he was out with Chad. His mother struck him as the type to want to take photos to commemorate his first date ever.

“Supposed to what with my son?”

His mouth struggled to produce sounds, but luckily he was saved.

“Dad, leave him alone.” Jensen appeared beside his father and if Jared was at a loss for words before, now he was totally screwed. Sleeves rolled up to his forearms, the fitted emerald button up he was wearing matched his eyes. His dirty blond hair was styled into soft spikes. “Hey Jared.”

Not trusting himself to speak just yet, he thrust the bouquet towards the other boy. They were Jared's idea, one that Jeff instantly green lit and praised as a nice touch. The lady at the florist had helped him a great deal, guessing from his paralyzed state he hadn't a clue.

“For me?” Jensen took them and brought them up to his nose, hiding his pleasant surprise. His ears matched the pink blush of the full blooms.

Eyes darting worriedly to Jensen's father, he nervously supplied, “They're peonies. I guess they mean a bunch of things -good things- but you can always pass them along to your mama if they're not really your thing--”

Jensen drew the flowers close to his chest. “I love them, thank you. I'm just gonna put these in water real quick. Be right back.” He disappeared back into the house, leaving Jared alone with the stone-faced scrutiny of Mr. Ackles.

“So 'Jared,' what's on the agenda this evening?”

He gulped. “Di-dinner, sir.”

“Just dinner?”

“I, uh, yeah? Whatever Jensen wants to do.”

“Good answer. There will be no drinking or drugs, correct?”

“No! No, sir, of course not.”

“Jeez, Dad, are you about done?” Jensen stepped into view looking exasperated.

The flat line of Mr. Ackles' mouth twitched as he kept on staring at the sweat building along Jared's hairline. “This one seems decent.”

Jensen drew back in surprise before blinking at Jared as if just now seeing him. “... you ready to go?”

Jared exhaled in relief and nodded. The date hadn't even begun, and he needed to lie down.

Still stiff as a statue, Mr. Ackles murmured his name and held out his hand. Jared internally cursed himself for not taking the initiative himself; his dad would be ashamed. He made sure to make up for it by shaking the other man's hand with a firm grip and looking him square in the eye, no matter how terrifying.

“His curfew is at eleven.”

“Dad!”

“Yes, sir.”

“You two have a nice evening.”

“Thank you, sir.”

With his eyes rolled up into the back of his skull, Jensen slipped past his father and pulled Jared along by his arm. “Let's go. Bye, Dad.”

“Nice meeting you,” Jared managed to get out before stumbling after the other boy. He could feel Mr. Ackles watching as Jared's senses kicked in and he sped ahead of Jensen to open the door for him. Jensen hesitated, taken aback by the action, before getting in. Resisting the fear-based urge to check if he was doing well by Mr. Ackles' standards, he hurried around to the driver's side. Belts buckled and proper signaling a must.

“Sorry about my dad. I know he can come off as slightly intense.”

Jared let out a tight laugh, navigating his father's Acura out of the neighborhood. “Slightly? No way, I thought he was super chill.”

“And you're a terrible liar.”

He peeked over at Jensen's grinning face bathed in the golden light of the evening sun. He was struck again by the knowledge that he was here right now in a car with the boy of his dreams. All the words that stalled in his throat when Jensen first came to the door came rushing out.

“You look amazing by the way. Not that you don't always look amazing, you do, but you look especially amazing tonight.” He forced himself to stop talking. He tightened his hold on the steering wheel and instead focused on the road.

“You look good, too. I like what you did with your hair. I can see your face.”

“I'm sorry,” he said as a knee jerk response.

“Don't say that.” He could hear the disapproval. He risked a glance and was met with a bubblegum pink frown. “It's a good face. People being able to see you is a good thing.”

Jared didn't know what to say to that, so he didn't say anything. Jensen's serious tone made it seem like more than a shallow reassurance, like he really wanted Jared to hear what he was telling him. This date really wasn't starting out like he hoped.

“So, what are we doing?”

Jared was more than grateful for the change in subject. “I hope you're hungry.”

“Starving. Practice kicked my ass today. Where are we going?”

He bit his lip, still unsure about the idea he and Jeff had come up with. “You'll see.”

Jensen didn't do much to mask his confusion when Jared pulled up to a park, especially when he reached into the back and retrieved a large basket. Youth soccer was wrapping up for the day, so they had to work through a fleet of chattering kids and their tired parents to make it to the path that led to the gardens. Around them, Spring had come into literal full bloom, filling the air with its sweet perfume. Texas Bluebonnets, Primroses, and Indian Paintbrush surrounded them in streaks of purple, yellow, and the colors of the Texas flag. Jared couldn't appreciate any of it though. His nerves were mounting with the truly baffled looks Jensen was giving him.

“Oh, um, do you mind waiting here for a minute?” Jared dashed ahead at the other boy's careful nod. He vanished behind the bend in the path where it opened up to small sections of grass amongst the wildflowers. The dark material of his shirt hid the growing spots of sweat that formed as he raced to set everything up. Once finished, he triple checked it all, fussing with the corners of the blanket to ensure they were smooth and straight; two things he realized with an anxious chuckle he was the exact opposite of.

Jensen was right where he left him. Frowning, he moved forward at Jared's urging. “I thought we were going to eat--”

He stopped short when he reached the display Jared stood beside. A picnic had been arranged with actual plates and cutlery. Soft rock music played from the tinny speaker of his cell phone. It wasn't Lady and the Tramp, but Jared was fairly proud of what he and Jeff had scrambled to accomplish. That pride took a nosedive when Jensen just stood there silently, his eyes drifting over the sealed containers.

“I got all healthy foods, because I know that's important to you. There's, um, pillows if the blanket's not comfy enough. You can change the music to whatever you want.” When Jensen still didn't say anything, Jared's babbling went on like a sprung leak. “Or- or we could go somewhere else? Wherever you want. I shouldn't have done this. This is so incredibly cheesy--” He bent over to start packing everything up, but Jensen finally snapped out of his mild stupor and lunged forward to stop him.

“Don't. This is...” The approaching dusk darkened the rosy glow to his cheeks. “I think I like cheesy.”

Jared's downward spiral screeched to a halt. “You do?” At Jensen's nod, Jared's dimples broke out in full force. He guided Jensen to sit. “Okay so we've got coke and water. I went to this health food cafe, because I can't cook, and I got fruit salad, Caesar salad, some kind of cauliflower casserole thing, grilled chicken, and pita bread. You do eat bread, right?”

Jensen chuckled shyly. “I eat bread. You didn't need to go to all this trouble for me. I would have been happy with burgers.”

Damn, so Whataburger would have worked.

“I could run and go get some if you want--”

“No! This is amazing. No one's--” Bottle green eyes took in the food and surroundings. “-- ever done anything like this for me.”

Jared distracted himself with opening up the containers so he could have the courage to get out, “Well, they should have. You're worth it.”

He missed the shock on the other boy's face dimming into sadness. When Jared dared to look at him again, both emotions were replaced by calm interest.

“So, what would you like first?”

For the first little while they ate in relative silence unless commenting on the food or exchanging parts of their day. Jared more than once lost his train of thought halfway through a sentence when he looked up from his plate to see Jensen across from him. He watched in awe as the other boy devoured his meal. Gone were those delicate bites from lunch and were interchanged with stuffed cheeks and vigorous chewing. When he noticed Jared had stopping eating, his chewing slowed until he swallowed. He pointedly set down his utensils and dabbed at his mouth with an ivory linen napkin (one of his mom's reserved for guests-only that she would kill Jared if she found out he had them outdoors).

“I wasn't kidding when I said I was starving.”

“No, please eat up. I'm just glad you like it.”

At least one of them did; Jared's nerves had killed his appetite. He had long ago made peace with the fact he had the palette of an eight year-old who believed the four major food groups were pizza, potatoes (in any form), burgers, and candy.

“Just save some room for dessert.” He twisted around to root through the basket.

“I don't know if I can promise that,” Jensen hummed as he reached for another slice of bread. “This stuff is like crack.” As he bit off a chunk, his eyes landed on the plain white bakery box, and he covered his mouth to garble out, “I rescind my last statement. Is that—?” He squinted in the dying light. By now streaks of amethyst lined the amber sky, bathing everything in a cool cerulean.

“Shit, I almost forgot.” Jared dove back into the basket and brought out several thick cylinders. His teeth pinched the tip of his tongue as his fingertips searched out the tiny switches at their bottoms. In no time their picnic was illuminated by the warm glow of battery-powered candles.

Jensen slow clapped in the artificial, flickering orange light. Jared shrugged like it was no big deal, like he wasn't mentally collecting each one of Jensen's split second reactions of wonderment and treasuring them.

“They're not the real deal, but I figured with my luck I'd accidentally burn the park down.”

“Smart thinking. So...” Jensen scooted closer, rubbing his hands together. “What's for dessert?”

“I know you take your diet very seriously, but I was hoping this would be okay,” Jared prefaced before handing over the box.

Jensen flipped up the lid, and the smile on his face froze. “... you got coconut cream pie?”

“Is- is that okay? I thought it was your favorite.”

“It is. I just... can't believe you remembered. I said it like once in passing.”

Jared's brows pulled together. “Of course I remembered. I remember everything you tell me.”

“You do?” Jensen studied him for a long moment before looking away. He drummed his fingers against the sides of the box. “Let's, uh, dig in, shall we?”

Skeptical, Jared went to work slicing and dishing out the pie, making sure to give the other boy a large slice.

Had he done something wrong? He thought he was doing okay. Maybe he had gone overboard? His first date ever, and he was already coming off as a weirdo that tried too hard.

The tines of Jensen's fork twirled idly through the whipped cream before dipping into his mouth, stirring heat low in Jared's stomach. Jared watched him toy with the slice, taking the occasional bite.

“How is it?”

Jensen bobbed his head, chewing.

Jared then forced his attention onto his own thin sliver. This was seriously going to suck. Struggling not to cringe, he sunk his fork through the very tip and quickly stuck it in his mouth. He grabbed for his drink to wash down the particles of coconut that squished and crunched between his teeth. Mid-hearty gulp, he peered down his nose to see Jensen's perplexed grin.

“You hate coconut, don't you?”

For a second, Jared considered lying and professing his love for the hairy fruit but decided against it. “Hate it with a passion,” he gasped upon coming up for air. The amount of soda he'd just consumed was a heavy carbonated weight in his stomach. He prayed to anyone listening for him not to belch at this exact moment.

“Well, don't make yourself eat it,” Jensen laughed, grabbing for his plate and sliding Jared's sliver onto his own. “Leaves more for me,” and with that he shoveled a large chunk into his mouth, wiggling his eyebrows and making a big show of enjoying it.

Crisis averted on the gas front through the process of cautious breathing, Jared was thrust into the next crisis of convincing his dick to ignore Jensen's exaggerated moans. His lips were smeared with whip cream. Hopefully Jensen would interpret the strain on his face as disgust.

“Mmm, delicious,” he purred before licking his fork clean with a flourish, the traces of white on Jensen's tongue nearly doing Jared in. Judging from the cat-that-got-the-cream grin on his handsome face, Jensen knew exactly what he was doing. “I don't know about you, but I definitely need to walk this off.”

“Just, uh...” Jared pulled the pie box onto his lap. “I'm gonna need a minute--- to let my food go down.”

After mentally playing through the gross out classics (picturing the one time he walked in on Chad climaxing took home the crown), he felt safe enough to relinquish his shield. With Jensen's help, he gathered up all their garbage and packed away the leftovers. The music on Jared's phone and the candles were switched off, plunging them in silence and darkness. Luckily, not far off, the garden's path was lined with small, solar powered lamps so at least they weren't completely blind.

They walked at an unhurried pace. The fall of night obscured the nature around them, allowing Jared to pretend they were the only two beings that existed for miles. In the dim quiet, Jared surprised himself by taking the initiative and asking Jensen random questions, even answering himself when Jensen turned them around. It felt easier to talk when he wasn't staring directly at the other boy. Where Jared liked his scifi and fantasy, Jensen loved horror films and astonishingly enough classic westerns, but they found common ground over comedy. “Adam Sandler's early work, no question.” But Jared almost face planted -basket skimming dangerously close to the ground- when his offhand Star Wars remark was met with confusion and he came to discover Jensen had never seen any of the franchise.

“How?! It's a pop culture phenomenon!”

“I don't know...” Jensen's grin shone through his next words. “I suppose the _stars never aligned_ for me.”

Jared squinted at him. “We're gonna have to fix that.” Here's hoping Jensen wanted him around long enough for that to happen.

“Yeah...” Jensen rubbed at the back of his neck. “Sure we can.”

Eventually the path split off into the woods or curved towards the pond, and the both of them chose to head towards the latter, Jensen joking that he didn't want the evening spoiled by getting murdered. Although the shadowy playground loomed tall and menacingly nostalgic.

“Let's give your arms a break since you won't let me help carry that,” Jensen said as he settled down on one of the swings which gave a metallic groan. Jared set aside the basket and joined him, wincing when his own swing was even more vocal.

While Jensen gazed out over the pond with fireflies flaring off and on over the water, Jared watched the pale moon glow of his profile. “This place is beautiful. I can't believe I've lived so close to it for years and didn't know about it. How'd you find it?” He turned to Jared, catching him out in his stare.

Jared dropped his eyes to the wood chips beneath his feet. “My brother, Jeff, used to be in a kid's soccer league here. My dad would drag the whole family along to cheer him on, even when it was just practices. It didn't take much for me to sneak away and go exploring. We could come back here during the day sometime if you want? It was kinda dumb to bring you somewhere like this only for it to get dark.”

“It wasn't dumb. I think I like this better. No crowds, no screaming kids, sign me up.” The gentle chirp of crickets filled the quiet. “... so your dad would really do that?”

“Oh yeah, every soccer, football, and basketball game. If my dad condoned it, he'd even root for Jeff during a beer pong game. He's my brother's number one fan.”

Jensen's swaying paused at the odd note in Jared's voice. “You don't sound particularly happy about that.”

Jared flinched, squeezing the thick chains that held him up. “No, no, I am. Even though he can be a real jerk sometimes, Jeff's pretty great. Straight A student, all star athlete, he even made the local paper once for this miracle-level winning touchdown his senior year.”

“Wow, am I on a date with the wrong Padalecki?”

Even though it was an innocent joke, Jared's chest stung, used to the comparison and coming up short. “Probably,” he answered in all honestly. “He's straight though. But seriously other than that, what's not to like? It's not like my dad has any more options for another all-star son. He's even still an avid member of our school's booster club.”

“Well... there's always you? How come you never tried out for anything? Like basketball, Lords knows you're tall enough.” The disbelief he aimed at Jensen was strong enough to penetrate the gloom, startling a laugh out of him.

“Have you seen me in gym? I can barely handle walking, much less jumping and dribbling. I'm just not built for that, and I know it bothers him like I'm wasting some great, untapped potential, but...” He blinked, pulling his absent gaze back in focus. “I don't know.”

Jensen stared ahead, quiet for a minute. Worry started to flutter inside Jared; worry that he had shared too much; worry that Jensen didn't want to hear him whining; worry he had ruined the light atmosphere and, therefore, the evening.

“... I get what you mean,” Jensen eventually said.

That was incomprehensible to Jared. “What? How? I'm a Category Four Klutz, but you--- you're an awesome cheerleader.”

Jensen's wry smile was a white slash in the dark. “Exactly. I'm a male cheerleader in the great state of Texas. I was too small for football and no other sports appealed to me, so cheer was a good compromise. Although times are different from when my dad was our age, he sees cheerleaders as poms poms and jock bait. Hell, I think he believes it made me gay. I know he loves me--”

Jared could attest to that; the older man's every word had carried a hurt-my-son-and-it'll-be-the-last-thing-you-do threat.

“-- I know that, but sometimes he'll see me in my uniform and... get this look in his eyes like he's...” Shaking his head, Jensen swiped his tongue over his lips. A dry laugh left him. “You know he's never come to any of my games or competitions?”

Jared's heart ached for the other boy. He reached out, resting an unsure hand on Jensen's back, feeling the heat and muscle. He leaned over to catch Jensen's faraway stare. “Well, he's missing out, because you're spectacular. I'm sure he's proud of you.”

With a sniff, Jensen sat up straight on his swing. “Once I'm captain next year, he will be. If I'm going to be a cheerleader, I better be the God damn best, right?” Before Jared could decide whether that was a rhetorical question, Jensen blew out a breath. “I never told anyone that before. I'm sorry for dumping all that on you.”

Jared's insides warmed and turned to goo. He felt special with the knowledge Jensen could confide in him. “To be fair, I sort of started the Daddy Issues train, so I'm sorry for dragging things down.”

Jensen swung and bumped their shoulders together. “My, aren't we a pair?”

000

With just minutes to spare before Jensen's curfew, Jared trudged after Jensen to his front door. They'd gotten lost talking for hours, and he didn't want the night to end. They drew to a stop under the porch light.

Jensen turned to him, the bakery box in his hands. “Thanks for the pie and dinner. I had fun.”

Sensing what was coming, Jared's nerves were back in full force. “Thanks for letting me, um, feed you.”

_Idiot._

A chill had settled in the air. Jensen shivered but continued standing there, waiting expectantly. Jared felt himself start to perspire. His mouth went dry. He took the tiniest step closer, his gaze falling to Jensen's lips. He wasn't sure how low to stoop down, how to hold his mouth, closed or open? What should he do with his hands?

Oh God, did Jensen even want a kiss?

Too preoccupied with his own approach, Jared missed the other boy watching him through his lashes. Jensen's chin lifted and his mouth relaxed, as he pushed up onto his toes. He waited and... waited. Jared blinked, prompting Jensen's eyes to fall closed, but instead of moving closer, Jared moved back.

“You better get inside before you're considered late. Your dad strikes me as a gun owner.”

Green eyes snapped open, confused. He shook his head and settled back. “O-okay, yeah. You're right. I've got that game tomorrow anyway...”

“What time's it at? Maybe I could come? Cheer on the cheerleaders?”

Jensen shook his head, an involuntary smile on his face at Jared's earnest look. He reached for the doorknob. “You don't have to do that. It would be boring for you, but I'll message you after.”

“Are you sure? I don't think it would be boring.”

“I'm sure. Goodnight.”

“Good--” Jensen's smile was the last thing he saw before the door shut in his face. “--night,” he finished to no one.

He mentally kicked himself back to the car. He couldn't shake the feeling like he'd done something wrong, reflecting on how off-kilter Jensen seemed after Jared aborted going in for a kiss. It was Jared's fault really. He shouldn't have assumed a goodnight kiss was part of the package deal. Jeff had stressed the point was to be a gentleman, damn it. Jensen was probably relieved.

… but some day maybe.

After getting into the car, a besotted smile crossed his face. He'd just been on a date with Jensen Ackles. Kiss or not, it had been a dream. At this point, he could only pray to do it again.

000

The last goal was scored and the clock timed out. A small crowd of navy and burnt orange yelled their team's victory from the stands. The squad cheered and jumped right along with them. Another win for the Mavericks. By the time both teams lined up on the field to shake hands, the fans were dispersing and Jensen was racing to gather his stuff on the sidelines. Sophia hovered at his side, still bouncing on the balls of her feet. From packed football games all the way down to the modest turnout they had today, her enthusiasm was boundless. The natural rasp to her voice was shot to a painful sounding whisper, but that didn't stop her from chattering on about the choice meat on the visiting team.

“I'm sure you've already noticed, but Tom Hardy's been eye-fucking you all game.”

“Probably why they lost,” he answered, apathetic. He checked his phone

_Good morning, hope you got enough sleep. Good luck today!_

He bit down his confusion and frustration. What did that even mean? What gives?

“Jensen!” Sophia's jaw had dropped. “You've been drooling after Tom Hardy's dick since the championship last year.”

His face twisted. “Drooling is a strong word, more like mildly interested in the size and heft of said dick, but never drooling.”

“Fine, 'mildly interested' blah, blah, blah. I heard he split from that skank he was with, so he's very single, very available, and judging by today, **very** interested.”

Reading once more the message he had yet to find the words with which to reply, he tossed his phone back in his bag. “And?”

“And what? Jenny, are you feeling okay?” Sophia brushed her hand against his forehead, and he swatted it away.

“I'm fine. I've just got other things on my mind.”

The brunette's mascara-ed lashes fluttered as her red mouth struggled for words. “... _what_? We have the rest of the weekend ahead of us. What could possibly be on your mind besides that mushy-lipped, bubble-butted goalie over there who has something to prove over his loss today and would no doubt take it out on your ass if you let him? What, tell me what.”

Jensen paused. His eyes glazed over imagining the possibilities. _Huh, when she put it like that... Wait, no._ He shook away the shivers her words incited like a dog. “If you want him so badly, you can have him.”

A part of him died a little at that.

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah. I gotta run.”

“You're in an awful big hurry for someone who showed up late,” said a saccharine-sweet voice from behind him.

He winced. Zipping up his bag, he turned around, plastering on his game day smile. “Hey Danni.”

The current reigning captain stood pristine in her uniform with her red hair tied high like a whip, no less intimidating for the large bow affixed like a crown on top of her head. He'd made himself as scarce as possible which was no easy feat, considering he was expected to cheer and remain present throughout the game. Luckily for him, Matt had almost dropped her during a one-leg stunt so her wrath had been directed elsewhere. Apparently now that Matt's ass was thoroughly reamed, it was Jensen's turn to catch hell for being a whole five minutes late.

“What happened, Jenny? You're never late.”

“Yes, that's true and I'm sorry--”

“Wasn't his big date last night?” Katie strolled up to Danneel's side, dressed and standing in an identical manner. Jensen wished it was her Matt had dropped.

Danneel's glossy lips curled. “Aw, that's right. So where did Prince Sasquatch take you?”

“Dinner,” he answered succinctly.

“How original.”

He could easily imagine their hyena cackles if he had told them it had been a picnic in the park, their howls if he had mentioned the flowers, music, candlelight, and that Jared had remembered his favorite pie. They would have found it hysterical that the darkness made all of Jensen's primping unnecessary, and that Jared seemed to have no ulterior motives besides getting to know him.

They especially would never know how he had loved every minute of it.

“So that's it? Just dinner?” Danneel probed further, her grin unchanging and her tone revealing nothing. Jensen decided two could play at that game.

“Of course, I'm a lady.”

“Right,” she hummed.

Obviously feeling left out, Katie poked her head between them. “DJ already wants me to meet his parents. Can you believe?”

And Jensen didn't even get kissed last night. Guys always wanted to kiss him. It baffled him.

Not taking her eyes off Jensen, their captain acknowledged the other girl. “Well, at least one of you is taking this seriously.” Jensen's jaw ticked at that. “Now if you'll excuse me, I have a hotter than hot midfielder to spoil me rotten then give blue balls to. Jensen, don't be late again.”

Once she turned away, Jensen's calm stare became a laser glare directed at Katie's triumphant smile. Between the blonde's smug face and the sting of last night's rejection -why wouldn't Jared want to kiss him?- the acid gathering on his tongue needed to be released.

“Oh big whoop, Katie, so your loser wants you to meet mommy and daddy. That doesn't prove anything. Last I checked he's still known as 'Puppet Boy.'”

Katie wasn't phased; if anything her amusement increased. “Not for much longer.”

“Yeah-- how do you know?”

She shrugged. “Showed him my boobs and he burned the puppet.”

“... why would you do that?” Sophia, who hadn't spoken til now, and Jensen wore twin disturbed expressions.

“What? We both got what we wanted, and I didn't have to touch him. Win, win.”

“Classy.” Jensen sneered.

The acrylic tipped fingers she'd been combing through her ponytail paused. She cocked her head, turning her icy gaze on him. “Excuse my terrible manners, how is oh, Whatshisface? I may be stuck with Puppet Boy, but at least he has a name.” She drew close, not at all bothered by the height difference. Her blue eyes searched his cool mask. “It must be so tough trying to make something out of a whole lotta nothing.”

He remained silent save for a small huff of air that left his nose as his lips lifted into a smirk.

_Yeah, we'll see about that._

He was going to have to pick up the pace.

000

Chad contorted his body with his controller tucked under his chin. “Turn-turn-turn-turn-- Fuck! Who the fuck picked Rainbow Road?!”

“I did, ya homophobe!” Jeff hollered from the other end of the couch. “Rainbow power, bitch!” And with that he fired off a green shell directly at Chad's character, sending him careening over the edge once again.

“Fucker!” Chad watched forlorn as Lakitu retrieved Wario from his fall. “Jare, I thought I made it clear we were hanging out at my house because certain people suck ass at your house.”

“Admit it, you missed me.” While Jeff cackled, Jared grunted from his middle cushion, tongue pinched between his teeth and eyes trained on the screen. If he could just hold out a little longer and if no one scored any blue shells, Luigi had this race in the bag.

His phone buzzed on the coffee table, and he instantly paused the game, much to his friend's and brother's vocal dismay. He stood up and walked a few steps away. Heart thumping, he read Jensen's message and excitement surged through him. He was worried that texting this morning would have been clingy and weird, but Jeff insisted girls love good morning texts -not to say Jensen was a girl. Also according to Jeff, waiting three days after a date to prove how cool you were was a waste of time. Jared didn't receive a reply from Jensen right away though, and when Chad called, Jared had begged him to come over to take his mind off things. They had the big screen TV for the day, and his mom had just restocked the kitchen; Despite Jeff, that was enough to persuade Chad.

As he shot back a response, he heard the game resume and his knee jerk panic at losing was smothered by those three, little bubbles signifying Jensen was already typing back.

“Fucking bitch! Fuck this track. No one can possibly be good at this track.”

“Maybe to those who had to take their driver's test four times.”

“Dude, you told him?” Chad cried much to Jeff's glee.

Those text bubbles materialized into a response. Vibrating, Jared pocketed his phone. “I gotta go.”

“What?” Chad looked away from the game as Jeff whooped his victory, tossing down his controller.

“Yeah, uh...” He scrubbed his hair back, a smile breaking out across his face. “Jensen wants to hang out.”

Jeff punched his fist into the air. “There you go, little bro!”

Chad wasn't nearly as enthused. “... okay, so? You're leaving right now?”

A micro-expression of perturb flickered through his eagerness. “Well... yeah? It's Jensen.”

“But you wanted me to hang with you--”

Jeff stretched over the length of the couch and threw a large hand over Chad's mouth that basically swallowed his buzzed head. Chad's curses were muffled shouts. “Jared, go. It'll give Chadwick and I a chance to get over our differences and truly bond.”

Jared's phone went off in his pocket, signaling Jensen's arrival. The string anchored in his chest leading off to where Jensen was started tugging him towards the front door. “Are you sure?”

Chad flopped around, trying to pry off Jeff's hand. Jeff used his long arms to pin his friend and still reach Jared's wallet on the table and toss it to him. “Go.”

After a moment's hesitation, Jared was out the door. A spontaneous day date. He could do this.

000

While Jensen had been puzzled by the location last night, today it was Jared's turn. He watched the sprawling building they were walking up to with trepidation. They passed through two sets of doors, and Jared felt like he'd been plunged in ice water and not only because the AC was set to arctic levels. He looked around at the crowds and shiny stores and couldn't quantify how out of place he was.

“Come on.” A warm hand slipped into his and began pulling him along. For a full minute, Jared forgot he was in a mall and his discomfort at that fact.

The most beautiful boy in the world was holding his hand. Nothing else mattered beyond that.

He hardly heard Jensen going on about the travesty that was his lack of an updated Spring wardrobe; all of his focus revolved around the connection of their joined hands. He'd never thought he'd ever experience something as simple as this. He was afraid he was already addicted.

Twenty minutes later his high had faded into withdrawal as he sat in an overstuffed chair waiting for Jensen to come out of the dressing room stall. More than once he had to awkwardly point at the row of closed doors and mumble he was with someone to a sales associate or ignore the distrustful looks he received. He perked up from his slouch when Jensen finally emerged. He imagined his tongue rolled out of his mouth much like Tex Avery's Big Bad Wolf. Those jeans might as well be painted on, clinging to the cute bow of Jensen's legs and showcasing the fact that, yes, his ass was high and round and no one would ever dare to bounce a lowly nickel off it. Only silver dollars or better would do.

On socked feet, Jensen stepped up to the mirrors, and -oh god- there were now four of him to ogle from differing angles. He twisted and turned, a small line between his brows. “What do you think?”

“Perfect,” he breathed. If Jared died right now, he wanted to be reincarnated as those jeans.

“Really?” Jensen's small frown deepened. “The shirt's a bit big.”

Shirt? Jared tore his eyes upward, and -wow okay- Jensen was wearing a different shirt. A gray and yellow plaid flannel that, now that Jared noticed, obstructed his view when Jensen let the bottom hang.

“I could grab you a smaller size if you want?” He slid out of his chair, his left arm held protectively over his lap.

“No, I've got a better idea.” Jensen jumped down from the short pedestal, fingers flying over shirt buttons and exposing a black undershirt. “Try it on.”

Jared backed away from the proffered garment. “I-- I couldn't. I'm good with what I've got on.”

Skepticism veiled the assessing look Jensen gave him. Jared in turn looked down at his three X t-shirt with a hole in the armpit and yard sale jeans splattered with paint from helping his dad repaint the living room four years ago. It wasn't great, but it wasn't that bad, was it?

Jensen pressed the shirt to his chest. “Please try it? For me?”

Jared buckled under those imploring, green eyes. His hand curled into the soft material, and he shuffled into the open stall.

“Be right back!” Jensen called from the other side. His being right back ended up being five long minutes that Jared spent flicking the buttons on the shirt and leaning against the mirror, waiting for the other boy's return. He already knew he looked dumb, so he planned to open the door, humor the boy, then change back.

“I'm back, and I found a couple things.” There was a small huff of effort and then a tidal wave of clothes flopped over the top of the door. Jared's easy recline became him pressing himself flat to the mirror.

“Uh... what's all that?”

“Just some things I thought you'd look good in. I had to guess your size, but we can fix that as we go. Try the black jeans with the shirt I already gave you.”

“O-... okay...” He carefully pawed through the mound of clothes. He found the jeans and actually struggled to pull them up his legs. Compared to his own loose pair, they were incredibly tight.

“How's it going in there?”

“Uh...” His mouth didn't quite know what to do as he looked at himself in the mirror. “It all doesn't really fit.”

“Let me see.”

His reluctance rattled audibly from his throat.

“Come on, please?”

Scrunching his face up, prepared for mockery, he stepped out and was met with silence. Jensen stared at him, his plump mouth forming a surprised “O”. The assessing look this time edged more into appreciation; his viridian eyes floating down Jared's body. The taller boy curled into himself, his arms hugging his middle.

“I look stupid.”

Jensen reached for him and drew him further out of the stall. “No... no, you really don't. You look... hot as hell actually.” Then he said more to himself, “Who knew you had a body under those circus tents.”

Blood rushed to Jared's face. He had no idea what Jensen was talking about. What about bean pole was “hot as hell”?

“Turn around for me. How does it feel?”

As he twirled slowly, he flexed his limbs and twisted his torso. “Erm, it's a little-- well, a lot tight.”

A chuckle sounded behind him. “It's going to feel like that when you finally put on clothes that fit you after wearing stuff way too big for you, although I'm thinking we could go a size smaller for the pants.”

His eyes bugged, and he whirled around. “Smaller?! You gotta be kidding--” He stopped short. Was Jensen Ackles just staring at his ass?

“Fine,” Jensen conceded with a sigh. “But this whole outfit is a yes. Go try on the next.”

Jared didn't budge, his eyebrows drawn. “I thought we were here because you needed new clothes.”

“Well technically, I _want_ new clothes. You, on the other hand, **need** new clothes.”

“I do?”

“Don't you think so?” Jensen drawled. He slunk closer, slithering his hands up Jared's chest and interlocking his fingers behind his neck. His whole front was a wall of heat setting Jared's nerve endings on fire. “My boyfriend should look good, shouldn't he?”

Jared gulped. His face hot. “Boy- boyfriend?”

A pink tongue swiped over rosy red lips. “Yeah. I know I said we should get to know each other better, but -fuck it- I like you. So what do you say, Jay, will you be my boyfriend?”

Jared's soul fainted from his body, leaving his vessel stupefied, until it recovered and reentered with a visible snap of motion. He nodded eagerly.

“Awesome.” Jensen's arms slid away, and he took a step back. “So, onto the next outfit?”

The happiness bubbling up inside him compensated for the cool absence of Jensen's body. He turned to head back into the dressing room but paused. “You're, um, getting those pants, right?”

It took him a second to catch on, but once Jensen seemed to remember the second skin jeans he was wearing, the smile that broke out activated the laugh lines around his eyes. “Yes, if you go try on the rest of the stuff, then yes.”

Jared couldn't get back in that stall fast enough, flinging his back against the door, biting his cheek and grinning like a loon. This time he looked at his reflection and didn't completely hate what he saw. After all, it was just clothes, right?

He had a boyfriend now.

000

Forever later, Jensen swore up and down that he hadn't made Jared try on the entire store. Jared didn't fully believe him. All he knew was when he finally slipped back into his own clothes, they felt loose and strange. He was carrying numerous bags containing more clothes than he currently owned, even two new pairs of shoes and a pack of boxer briefs, all cheerfully Jensen-approved. He also knew he would be mowing a lot of lawns this summer and picking up a part time job to repair the major dent he'd just put in his savings to buy a car. It was worth it though to have Jensen practically skipping at his side out of the store, his own smaller bag with those magnificent jeans dangling from the crook of his arm.

They stopped at the food court for those burgers they didn't have yesterday, all Jensen's treat. Thank God, because Jared didn't think his poor bank account could handle much more.

“Have you ever thought about cutting your hair?”

Jared paused mid-chomp of his cheeseburger and stared blankly at the other boy's beatific smile. He managed a muffled, “Wha?”

A short while later, he wasn't sure how exactly he ended up in a salon chair. The last thing he remembered was Jensen doing sinful things to his ketchup-dipped fries and commenting on how much sexier Jared would look with just a trim. So maybe that's all he needed to end up here. Jared couldn't recall the last time he'd gotten a haircut, choosing instead to let it grow out into the long mop it was today. Lame as it was, it had become a security blanket of sorts.

The cape snapped tight around his neck. He listened with mounting fear through the loud music and roar of blow dryers as Jensen and the stylist conferred with each other, talking inches and using words like “shedding weight” and “layers.” Did hair have layers? His apprehension almost sent him flying out of the chair until Jensen stooped down and planted a stomach-fluttering peck on his cheek.

“You're gonna look great, trust me.”

In response Jared flashed him a weak smile though his eyes never strayed far from the sheers the stylist wielded. He gulped.

000

Monday morning was a truly alien experience for him.

He had been wrestling with his instincts since five AM, because Jeff had gone back to school the day before and wasn't there to smack him, but he had left Jared with the wise words, “Stop being a bitch about everything.” They were not as affective at the time of receiving them, but they're what put a halt to Jared's internal struggle. Jensen liked it all, so why not? In the first outfit Jensen had put him in, he trotted down the stairs for breakfast, ravenous for the bacon and pancakes he smelled. Angsting over his hair and clothes could really work up an appetite.

He moved about the kitchen like normal, grabbing a plate and loading it with food, not immediately picking up on the silence that had fallen in the room. He got several bites in before he noticed it. In the midst of shoving the bacon/pancake taco into his mouth, he froze under the bewildered faces around the table. Slowly he committed to the bite, chewed, and swallowed.

“... something wrong?”

His mama merely smiled, reaching over and giving his hand a squeeze. “Absolutely nothing, sweetie.”

Meg piped up across from her. “I saw an old movie about this once: Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

“Megan, hush. Jared, you look very handsome. Right, Gerald?”

His dad peered at him over the top of the sports section, his voice the customary morning monotone. “Hair's still a bit longer than I like, but yes, he looks very handsome.”

Jared ducked his head, but there was no curtain of hair to hide behind. Locks of it brushed his cheeks and jaw and forehead in shaggy waves, the skin of his neck exposed. “Thanks...”

He hoped this would be the weirdest part of his day.

But it only got worse when he arrived at school.

He began receiving odd looks from people as soon as he stepped foot on campus, and once he entered the building, those scattered stares from outside condensed down to a funnel hyper focused on him. Jared briefly wondered if this was how the new kids felt on their first day. People leaned into each other, pointing and whispering like he was an exotic animal. Their eyes crawling over every inch of him, phantom scritches and scratches like ants all over his body. How the hell did Jensen stand this?

There was probably something deep and cerebral to be said about being invisible for so long only to be suddenly thrust into the spotlight, but he didn't care for it. Tilting his face to the floor, he gripped the straps of his book bag and headed for his locker.

000

“I've got to hand it to you, Jenny. That is...” Danneel turned to him, her mouth fixed in an open smile, her tongue playfully poking into her cheek. “Impressive.”

Normally Jensen would preen with the compliment, but he was currently paralyzed with his black coffee halfway to his mouth, his eyes glued on his... boyfriend. And that was a novel thing to think even if--

He swallowed thickly. It wasn't a big deal. So Jared looked a lot better than he anticipated. So what? He just hadn't seen the finished product yet, and it made for a very... appealing visual.

Danneel patted him on the head. “Keep up the good work.”

000

“The fuck happened to you?”

Jared banged his head on the shelf in his locker as he straightened up from digging for his civics book. “Chad, hey.”

His friend's stink face only grew now that he was getting the whole picture. “I reiterate: What the fuck happened to you?”

Jared looked down at himself, smoothing a hand over his hair, cheeks pinking. “What, you don't like it?”

“It's... different.”

“But a good different, right?”

Chad sniffed. The clothes he was wearing not totally unlike the ones Jensen insisted Jared bag up and throw in the trash. “Yeah, sure.”

Relieved, Jared stood a little taller. “I'm glad you like it. Jensen picked it all out.”

“Jensen did?”

“Yeah, Jensen thought his _boyfriend_ should look his best.” When his friend showed no reaction, he figured he should clarify further. “Me, Jared Padalecki, is Jensen Ackles' boyfriend.”

It was his second time saying it out loud to anyone -after telling Jeff- and it still felt as unreal and exhilarating as winning the lottery. Paired with a large smile and his brows raised in expectation, he waited for Chad's reaction. Unfortunately, where Jeff had whooped and generally lost his shit, his best friend just appeared generally confused.

“That's... fast.”

Jared blinked, his smile losing its crisp edges. “Not really? He really likes me. You were psyched about this before. Aren't you happy for me?”

Just then the bell rang, jarring Chad out of his fugue. His smile was thin but there enough to put his friend at ease. “Of course, I'm happy for you, Jare. It's fucking cool. I'll, uh, I'll catch you later okay? Mr. Worthy threatened my manhood if I'm late again.”

Jared brushed aside the worry niggling at him. “Yeah, can't have that. You go protect the boys. I'll see you later.”

Chad hurried down the hallway and out of sight, leaving Jared to the eyes of their classmates staring back at him. That was a little on the strange side, but he shrugged it off. It was a strange day, and Chad was already a strange guy.

000

By the time the end of the school day rolled around, Jared was moving in a bit of a daze. Today was going down as the freakiest day in history, and that's in comparison to the day Jensen kissed him which felt like a whirlwind of forever ago. Before he was merely a ghost drifting through the halls. Today, people smiled at him and waved, some even knew his name. A girl in his Physics class asked to be his partner and not because there were no other options. She batted her eyelashes at him and giggled at every little thing he said. He'd even spied a few teachers looking at him and double checking their seat charts like he was a new student of whom they hadn't been informed. It was as if he'd been zapped into some Bizarro world.

In gym class, Jensen had skipped up to him, planted a kiss on his cheek in greeting, and put all those dating rumors to rest, much to the dismay of the jocks in the class, Amell and Weatherly included. Somewhere in the chaos of flag football, Jared lost track of Chad, not that -admittedly- he tried very hard to keep up with him. He was too busy basking in his new boyfriend's attention and quietly enjoying the envious looks directed at him. He sent a text to Chad asking his whereabouts but hadn't gotten anything back. Jensen only ever left his side long enough to change back into his regular clothes after class and on their way to lunch Jensen even held his hand.

Throughout lunch the other cheerleaders fawned all over his appearance, Jensen took to smacking their hands away when their touches lingered just as long as their eyes. The only one unimpressed by his makeover was Katie Cassidy, and she had no compunctions making it known, scoffing and rolling her eyes with every compliment. No one said anything to her, even Jensen chose to simply ignore her, but each sneer punctured the slow swell of pride growing inside him.

“She really doesn't like me, does she?” He had asked Jensen after deciding to walk with him to his next class. He didn't mind risking tardiness if it meant the fingers tangled with his lasted a few minutes longer.

“Who?”

“Katie. She seems to really hate me and very much you.”

Jensen threw back his head and laughed, exposing the pale length of his throat. “She just hates you because of me. She's jealous and bitter and thinks she can snag the title of captain next year out from under me. Seriously, don't pay her any mind.”

“If you say so...”

“Hey.” Jensen's fingers squeezed his, urging him to stop. Jared's heart still kicked up at the contact and the beautiful face peering up at him. The two-lane flood of bodies moved around them. “Don't let her bother you, okay? She's not worth it.” At Jared's reluctant nod, the serious set to his mouth eased into a flirtatious smile. “Besides she could only dream she had a boyfriend half as hot as mine.”

Jared snorted, shaking his head and for the hundredth time today missing the thick fall of hair that typically covered his face. This was so not his life.

“Hey it's true! One of these days you're going to believe me.”

The warning bell sounded, and the speed of foot traffic increased around them, but the general rate of heads turning to watch the pair remained the same.

“Well, this is me.” Jensen tipped his head to indicate the room behind him. Jared felt the shift to their impending goodbyes, the both of them lingering despite the fact Jared had mumbled he better get to class and Jensen nodded, mentioning he'd text him later. Jared's eyes kept falling to Jensen's slightly parted lips, the rest of him being drawn in. Jensen edged closer, watching him through his lashes. The only kiss they'd shared up until now was the one in the library, everything else being quick pecks on the cheek.

And this time ended up being no different.

Catcalls from down the hall sent Jensen reeling back. His ears pink, an embarrassed chuckle escaped him. He rose up on his tiptoes and pressed his lips against the narrow cut of Jared's cheek like a cool stamp. Jared stood there and accepted it, grateful to get that much while also wishing for more.

That day became his new normal. It almost was seamless how Jared's life went from pining and meandering like a specter in the background to Jensen-Jensen-Jensen and all that came with him. It turned out being Jensen's boyfriend meant interacting with a lot of people, a lot of the time. Before school, during school, and quite a bit after school. Not to say Jared was popular -if anything he considered himself a gawky hanger on- but the sheer amount of socializing felt like a full-time job. His batteries were so drained come the end of the day, he crashed each night and rushed to get his school work done in the mornings.

One day, Jared asked Jensen how he did it all with homework and cheer practice on top of it, and Jensen with a lethargic salute of the paper cup held reverently in his hands replied, “That's what the coffee is for... and I guess whatever that cavity-inducing abomination is.” He sneered at the whipped cream topped caramel frappuccino in Jared's hand.

Another thing Jared learned was you didn't talk to Jensen in the morning until he had his coffee. Luckily Jared discovered this by witnessing a JV cheerleader making this mistake and that death glare had not been inflicted upon him. Then again, the same intensity reflected through those emerald green eyes that sent the sophomore girl scampering away, also caused Jared's blood to run south. But that could be because Jared found everything the other boy did undeniably hot.

After a couple weeks Jared hardly recognized his own life. He found himself walking a little taller, sitting a little straighter, and meeting people's eyes more often than not instead of shrinking away in corners. Perhaps there was something to be said for dating the hottest guy in school. He was at his most confident when Jensen was around, encouraging him and including him in almost all things, sometimes to the point the pressure had him clamming up. He still didn't contribute a whole lot in the way of group discussions, but he was more than happy to listen and blend in. It's not like he ever had much to say, especially when at times the conversation turned so cryptic he felt distinctly on the outside of an inside joke. Those times Jensen's expression would sour, and he'd pointedly change the subject.

The jocks who hung around were slow to accept Jared's presence, which he chalked up to the open looks of want they shot Jensen. At first, they acknowledged him like a piece of gum stuck on the bottom of their shoe, but at some point he graduated to fist bumps and back pats. It was downright eerie, but Jared wasn't going to question it. He'd seen those same guys stalk and torture nerds much smaller than himself, even Katie's own boyfriend, DJ.

Jared still didn't know much about DJ despite the many occasions he'd seen him hanging around Katie and the cheer squad before school and during gym class. For some reason, DJ was always glaringly absent after school when there was no practice and Jensen would drag Jared along to J.D.'s Diner, times Katie would laughingly refer to as “off the clock.” Aside from a sudden penchant for leather jackets and hair gel, Jared didn't know why he was known as “Puppet Boy;” he had yet to see the fabled sock with button eyes and yarn hair. He didn't give it much thought though. He was contending with much more pressing matters.

Seriously pressing. Like his zipper pressing on his hard dick pressing.

In those few weeks of school and hanging out with Jensen's friends, Jared managed to sneak in little pockets of time with just the two of them, mostly on the weekends. Meals or hanging out but never at each other's houses. Jensen claimed he was no good at meeting the parents and at his own house his dad would be annoyingly overbearing and insist they keep his bedroom door open. The thought of Jensen's bedroom short-circuited his brain, but the idea of anything untoward happening in there that would prompt Mr. Ackles to break out the shotgun was becoming a distant and laughable hope. It never became more distant than when he finally broke down and asked Jensen what was going on after another chaste peck on the cheek before Jensen headed off to practice.

“Wait-- um... did I... do something wrong?”

Brows drawn together, Jensen tilted his head adorably. “What are you talking about?”

He immediately regretted starting this conversation. What if it led to Jensen proclaiming after just one kiss Jared was terrible at it? Or worse, led him to break up with Jared and be done with it?

He raked his hair back from his face, looking around at what a public area they were in. Without another word said between them, they moved off to the side under a small copse of trees and out of hearing distance of the other students milling about.

“What's this about, Jay?”

Calling him ”Jay” was new and rolled so naturally from Jensen's lush mouth. Jared's chest warmed at the nickname, helping the words come haltingly out of his mouth. “You never want to, um, kiss me. Did I do something? Is my breath--”

“No! Oh my God, no. It's not that.” Jensen chewed on his lip, turning the flesh a Jolly Rancher red. His gaze fell away towards the ground then everywhere except Jared. “... I just- uh... want us to take things slow. Do things right, y'know?”

Jared's frown came unconsciously. “... not even kiss? On the mouth?”

Slow he could get behind considering his own inexperience, but at that glacial of a pace?

Everyone knew the rumors, the reputation that surrounded Jensen. That's why it had been such a noteworthy event when he and Jared made it official. _Jensen Ackles doesn't date. Jensen Ackles hooks up, and he hooks up a lot._ Illicit stories and firsthand accounts abound. Jared had heard about the number of boys from their school and in nearby schools was staggering. Unlike Jared, Jensen was no virgin. It didn't seem fair. All those guys got to have a piece of Jensen, and Jared couldn't even get a kiss?

“Is-- is that okay?” Doe eyes gazed up at him, the worry and uncertainty there holding up a mirror to Jared's ugly thoughts.

He blanched, a muscle in his neck jumping. Revulsion and self-loathing flooded his six four frame. What the fuck was wrong with him? What an awful thing to think. How could he think of Jensen in that way? Jared was being a gross jerk eager to lose his v-card status and resentful of his boyfriend's boundaries, because of what? Because salacious gossip poisoned him into thinking he was entitled to him?

“Jay?” Jensen was still waiting for his response, a more resigned slant to his mouth.

Jared was going to do better. He was going to _think_ better.

“Of course it's okay. Whatever you want, and whatever you're comfortable with, is okay by me.” He tried to let the depth of his earnestness shine through.

Instead of relief, doubt clouded Jensen's features. His voice went flat. “Really? You're honestly okay with that?”

“Well, yeah? As a red-blooded teenage boy faced with the most gorgeous boy on the planet, am I psyched about it? Not particularly, but Jen... I like you more than the possibility of getting off. I like just being with you. You do know that, right?”

Perplexed, Jensen's barely-there nod was the only indication he had heard Jared. They just about jumped out of their skin when a tiny brunette appeared next to them.

“Jenny, what are you doing? We've got practice! Hi, Jared.” Genevieve gave him a passing wave. “Danni will roast us alive if we're late. We're finally going to start working on the routine for the pep rally in a couple weeks.”

Two more minutes would have been nice.

“Go on, Jen. We can always talk about this later, if you want.”

Genevieve's insistent, “Come on,” was enough to bring the other boy out of his stupefied stare. “Why don't you come to practice with me? We've got the field today. You can hang out on the bleachers, and then we can do something after.”

“Are you sure? I don't want you to get in trouble.”

“You won't, I promise.”

000

“No-no-NO! Oh my fucking God, did everyone take fucking stupid pills today?!” Danneel shouted, stomping across the grass towards the rough formation they were currently in. “Rachel, learn how to straighten your leg or I'll break it and the cast will keep it straight. Matt, I swear to God, lock your elbows or you're going to drop someone. **Again**. And Sophia, did you happen to suffer some sort of brain injury that made you forget the mechanics of a basic cartwheel?”

Everyone on her current hit list hung their heads, knowing better than to apologize. Danneel was in rare form today. To put it simply: Everything looked like shit, and everyone involved was dumb as shit. In her bone-dry tank top and shorts, she glared at the rest of the squad's red and dripping faces. She snared her lip in disgust and turned on her heel, her hand massaging her temple.

“Five minute break and after that, you better get it right.”

Jensen didn't need to be told twice, splitting off from the group to where he'd dropped his gym bag and, more importantly, his water bottle. His arms burned from repeatedly lifting Katie up when all he wanted to do was drop her, so if everyone would stop screwing up, that would be peachy. His ass had already gotten threatened because he brought Jared along. He checked on him up in the stands, books situated around him and completely absorbed in his work. Jensen didn't know how to feel about the fact he wasn't being currently ogled and objectified by the other boy. Honestly, he was still baffled that Jared had accepted his puritan pace without a fuss. He just liked “being with” Jensen? What did that even mean anyway?

He bent over to retrieve his water, still wondering.

“Hey Jenny.”

He snapped upright. It wasn't often that he allowed himself to get caught off guard, except maybe with Jared. That kid gave him whiplash like nothing else, but there Stephen Amell was just on the other side of the fence that separated the field from the bleacher seating, his blue eyes sliding shamelessly down Jensen's body.

“Hey, what's up?”

“Looking good today.”

Twisting the cap off his water and taking a long pull, his brow quirked at the jock. “Right... if your definition of good is sweating like a pig in ratty sweats.”

Stephen's smile broadened, undeterred by Jensen's sarcasm. He folded his arms atop the fence and leaned close. “Maybe I could help you out of those ratty sweats and get you sweating over much more fun activities.”

Subtly leaning back, Jensen glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the squad resting on the grass and chugging water. “I've gotta get back. What do you want?”

“I was thinking I could pick you up later, take you for a ride in my truck. What d'ya say?”

He smothered the sick turn in his stomach with a sneer. This wasn't the first time he'd gotten asked out like this and it probably wouldn't be the last. “And do what exactly?”

The jock huffed out a laugh like _Aw shucks, Jenny's so slow, isn't he cute?_ “Well... I figured we'd drive somewhere nice and quiet and you know...”

“You do realize my boyfriend is right over there?”

Stephen craned his neck to see Jared with his nose still buried in a book. He shrugged. “So? What's your point?”

“My point,” Jensen started, his patience wearing thin, “Is that I'm taken.”

Stephen eyed him like Jensen had lapsed into mildly amusing jibberish. He hunched over the fence to get even closer, his volume dropping to conspiratorial, like all of a sudden he gave a shit about being overheard. “Be honest, what are you really doing with that loser? I know he can't be satisfying you like you need--”

“Excuse me?”

“Tell me what are you doing with him when you can have a better offer standing right here.”

“Since when do I have to explain myself to you, _Stefan_?”

Stephen smiled fondly at him like he was a particularly pretty idiot. It wasn't just the sun and exercise that turned Jensen's face a fetching red. “Take a ride with me.”

Jensen's jaw flexed. Shaking his head, he turned to head back. When Stephen's paw tried to reel him back with a chortling, “Come on, Jenny,” he spun around, getting into the jock's face. “Let's get one thing clear, if I haven't gotten around to fucking you by now, then it's never gonna fucking happen, so fuck off.”

“You can't be serious--”

He jerked out of the jock's hold and stabbed a finger in his stunned face. “Touch me again and when I'm captain next year, I'll make damn sure no one on my squad even looks in your sorry direction, understand?”

Stupidly gaping, Stephen backed off the fence, his hands up like Jensen had leveled a gun at his crotch, which in a way he had.

Jensen didn't wait for him to leave. Amell probably shit himself thinking Jensen was hopping the fence to castrate him, but the cheerleader had a different goal in mind, seething as he marched up the bleachers. He wasn't some walking, talking Fleshlight. He wasn't.

His thundering steps alerted the bookworm to his impending arrival.

Jared frowned, checking past him to the field. “Are y'all done already?” When Jensen's thunderous expression didn't give anything away, Jared tilted his head like a sweetly confused puppy. “Are you ok--”

With all his rage, he seized Jared by both sides of his face and sealed their mouths together, Jensen's lips and tongue working in well-practiced synchronization. Jared was shocked into paralysis, eyes bulging and mouth slack. Jensen redoubled his efforts and was rewarded by the first tentative flick of Jared's tongue grazing his as he angled his head just so, his eyes falling closed. Something stirred in Jensen's chest. He could tell right off the bat that the other boy wasn't the most experienced, but he kissed like he meant it -like he was pouring his heart into it- and it wasn't just a means to an end. The longer their kissing went on, the pained tension to Jensen's face eased and his anger drained away.

Once the need for air asserted itself, he drew back, breathing hard. Moss green eyes opened and searched the lust-slackened look on Jared's face. His lips were as red as the twin spots on the apples of his cheeks. Fox-slanted eyes slid open revealing a mix of blues, greens, amber, and at their center golden rings that surrounded the dilated black of his pupils.

_Like little suns._ Jared had literal stars in his eyes. Jensen never really noticed all that before.

Jared stiffened, his hands flying up much like Stephen's had. His tongue ran over his lips in anxious swipes. “I'm- I'm so sorry. I really meant it when I said we could go at your pace. You really didn't have to do that--”

“I know I didn't have to.” He swallowed the taste of the Skittles Jared must have been snacking on, feeling at the edge of some precipice and utterly lost. Honesty bled from him like a baffling wound. “I know, and that's exactly why I did it.”

Hearing Danneel calling everyone back, his heart sped up and he dipped back into the soft wet of Jared's mouth.

000

From that point on, Jared hardly ever came up for air. He was suffocating in the best way imaginable.

Whatever had unexpectedly changed during Jensen's cheer practice opened a floodgate, and they spent almost every second alone making out. The constant onslaught of Jensen's friends had receded, Jensen shrugging it off and saying he saw them enough at school, which coincidentally was the only place Jensen drew the line for their evolving version of PDA AKA Jared's ultimate favorite past time. Automobiles, restaurant booths, and sometimes under the bleachers were all free game; and one memorable occasion when they finally went back to the park. During that afternoon, they'd explored the woods and Jared said something and Jensen tackled him, effectively forcing them off the trail. Jared had walked out of those woods a half hour later, his hair a mess, his back scratched up from the tree he'd been pinned against, the side of his neck a violent mix of purple and crimson, and a stain on the front of his pants. Turns out his neck had a direct line to his dick.

It never progressed beyond that though. Jensen would crawl into his lap in the front seat of his car and would kiss him with such passion, his body writhing against him, Jared's hands would mindlessly trace the sinuous muscles of Jensen's back down to the firm swell of his ass grinding down on him, and then Jensen would tear himself away with a loud smack, agonized and suggesting they stop. Those times felt like ice dumped over Jared's head, but he'd nod along, panting.

A good boyfriend meant listening, and Jensen only deserved the best. He would just have to take a lot of cold showers.

000

Only when Sterling K Brown showed up to school one day with a dozen red roses and asked Lauren Cohan to prom did Jared sense something was wrong. Left and right and all around them promposals were springing up; from lovingly graffitied cars in the parking lot and poster boards with clever wordplay to all kinds of grand gestures.

Amongst the scattering of applause and coos from the girls already with dates, Adam Milligan hopped down from the lunch table and swept up the cute blonde sobbing and bobbing her head yes. How he thought he could squeeze the entire marching band into the cafeteria was beyond Jared. Clapping, Jared snuck a peek at Jensen to find him scowling, his most common reaction to each public display. The rest of the lunchroom went back to normal as the band players navigated their instruments out over their heads like they were tip-toeing through a minefield.

“Ugh, can you believe that? So cute!” Sophia melted with her hand over her heart.  


“I know, right! Did you hear about what Adrianne Palicki did for her girlfriend in the courtyard this morning?”

“Oo, oo, with the donuts and sparklers?”

The girls at their table shared a collective “Aw” while the boys remained silent with shifty eyes.

“Y'all do realize prom's mostly for the seniors? This school is just small enough they figured they might as well lump us juniors in with them. It's just so dumb to get hyped up about it.” Jensen took a vicious bite of his wrap. His fellow cheerleaders stared at him like he'd suggested they all throw their phones into the pond beside the school.

Genevieve, the most horrified of the bunch, stuttered, “But-- But it's for upperclassmen. It's not dumb. It's supposed to be the best night of our lives.”

“What's with the sudden hate, Jenny?” Katie's serpentine grin rankled on Jared's nerves, Jensen's own dislike having rubbed off on him. “It's almost like you're not at all excited for prom. I heard it's supposed to be a magical night as well as a very... _liberating_ experience.”

It was another one of those times Jared knew he was missing something but didn't know what.

Danneel watched the exchange with a poorly concealed smirk.

The placid mask on Jensen's face didn't so much as twitch as he glared at the blonde. Eventually he said without taking his eyes off her, “Jay, I'm done eating. Are you about finished?”

Jared jumped, snatching up his drink and fries. “Yeah, yeah, I'm good.”

“Good. Wanna get some fresh air before class?”

“Sure.” He stood up and, balancing his lunch in the crook of his arm, scooped up Jensen's books for him. Jensen always insisted he could carry them himself, but it made Jared feel even more like a boyfriend.

“So well trained,” Katie commented behind their turned backs. Jared gritted his teeth but urged Jensen on. He could see his boyfriend was about to blow.

Outside, Jensen's acerbic insults about Katie flowed out of him. Jared just let him go until he ran out of steam. As colorful and creative as they were, Jared had heard them twice over. Jensen still looked cute though when he was prickly and wrathful.

“So...” Jared spun the cap of his bottle off and on, sitting hunched on the bench. “I guess now would be a bad time to ask about prom?”

Jensen stiffened. “... what about it?”

“Are-- are we going? Should I do something big to ask you? You seem to hate that though. Should I even ask or-- or is it assumed since we're dating--”

Jensen's hand landed on his to stop his anxious bottle cap twisting. Hazel eyes rose to meet pained green. “Can we just... focus on this? I don't want to worry about all that prom bullshit. It's overrated anyway. I rather just forget about it for now. Can we do that? Please?”

Jared worried his bottom lip, knowing he could never deny the boy in front of him anything. “Sure, of course, whatever you want.”

Jared didn't need to start going to dances anyway.

000

“Hey Dad, is it cool if I borrow your car?”

Eyes glued to the basketball game on the giant flat screen, his dad nodded distractedly. “Keys are hanging up, but you're gonna have to put gas in her.”

“Alright, thanks.” He crossed the living room to the front door in quick strides. Thanks to his hair being a complete bitch, he was running late.

His mom looked up from her crossword. “Where are you rushing off to?”

“Just meeting some friends.” He shoved his feet into his shoes.

“That's nice. How is Chad doing? It's been awhile since we've seen him around here.”

Jared stopped short, frown lines stitching his brows together. “... actually, it's a couple other people--” Jeff had been bitching at him for weeks to tell them. “--and my boyfriend,” he finished uncertainly, looking between his parents. His dad didn't seem to hear him -shouting at the TV about defense- but his mom gazed at him with a wondering smile.

“A boyfriend? Who is he? How long?”

Meg paused in scrolling through her phone, sneering. “Who would wanna date you?”

Jared sucked in his lips and flashed a tight grin. This was why he'd put off telling them. “I'm running late. Heading out now.”

“But wait.” His mother got up from the couch and came around the side of it. “When can we meet him? You should invite him over for dinner. I can make a roast.”

“Sounds... great. I'll be sure to tell him. See ya.” And Jared hightailed it out of that house as fast as he could.

His mama's enthusiasm was to be expected, but she did bring up something that got him thinking: It had been awhile since Chad had been around. Jared still saw him at school, of course, and talked to him when he could. There were just so many more people talking to Jared now, it was hard to find the time. Whenever Jared tried to message him to see what his friend was doing, Chad -when he did eventually respond- would just apologize and say he was busy. He and Jared hadn't hung out in what felt like ages.

Well, he was going to fix that.

000

The next day he begged off lunch with Jensen, which was a mercy for Jensen, because with it being Spirit Day, Jensen in his tight, little cheer uniform would be too hard for Jared to resist and he'd throw Jensen's PDA boundaries to the wayside and kiss him senseless.

It felt weird walking back to his old lunch table and planting himself right across from Chad. The tables other occupants looked upon him in awe like someone of celebrity had sat down. Jared angled his body away from their discomfiting stares.

Chad eyed him as he took a huge bite of his sandwich. He garbled out through his mouthful, “What are you doing over here?”

“What, a guy can't come and have lunch with his best friend?”

“Are you sure your boyfriend is okay with that?”

A frown flitted through his smile. “Of course, why wouldn't he be?” When Chad didn't answer and took another bite, Jared continued. “You've been so busy lately. I miss you, bud.”

Chad put down his food. “I've been busy? This is the first time I've seen you without Mr. Wonderful attached to your hip. I never get to see you, and we never hang out anymore since you've gotten yourself a famous boyfriend.”

Jared's smile persisted despite the comment's sting. He tipped his face down, contrite, watching the water in the bottle between his hands slosh around. “I guess I may have been a little... Jensen crazy lately... but I wanna make it up to you.” He straightened with an idea. “Let's hang out tonight, just me and you. We'll order pizza and O.D. on sugar, and play video games all night. What do you think?”

He waited and waited. He could see the cogs turning in Chad's head. “... just me and you?”

“Yeah.”

“And no Jensen?”

Another sting but nonetheless. “No Jensen.”

“And we get at least one pineapple pizza, your treat?”

“My treat, and you can get pineapple on **half** of one of the pizzas.”

Squinty, blue eyes narrowed even further. “... deal.”

“Really? Great!” Jared felt like he could relax now that Chad and he seemed fine. “Now tell me what's been going on? What have I missed?”

Chad finally grinned, losing some of his rigid suspicion. “So, remember my fine-ass twenty-something year old neighbor? Well, she's in the middle of renovating her bathroom and now there's like no blinds or nothing up...”

000

Jared's light mood from talking with Chad at lunch evaporated into nothing by the end of the day. While everyone lounged around the courtyard making weekend plans, Jared sat off to the side, huddled over a paper in one hand and chewing on the edge of his thumb. Jensen hooked his chin over his shoulder.

“Don't beat yourself up so much. Everyone fails a test now and then.”

Jared spat out the swollen tip of his thumb long enough to say, “Not me, Jen, and not Calculus.”

The irony was not lost on him. The savage fashion in which Mr. Riching slashed the **F** at the top of the page was mockingly personal. He couldn't accept it. He'd been so confident during the test, but upon further review he'd made a litany of careless, stupid-stupid mistakes. Jesus Christ.

“Stop. It's not that big of a deal,” Jensen sighed. His fingers kneaded at the tight muscles at the base of Jared's neck. Jared was so tense and distracted, he barely felt them.

“Hey! You both down?”

Jensen's working fingers receded and dropped away. “Down for what?”

Mike -Rosey- Rosenbaum, a senior, popped his head out from the group and swaggered over to the couple. “My parents went out of town for the weekend this morning so we all know what that means.” His words set off a round of giggles. “A certified, kid-tested, not so much mother-approved, Rosey Rager.”

“Uh... I don't know about that,” Jensen hedged behind him. “I don't think tonight's gonna work for us.”

Breaking out of his trance-like scrutiny of numbers and blood red “X”s, he caught the tail-end of Jensen's statement. “Hm? What's not gonna work?”

“Come on, Jenny, you guys gotta go. It's one of the last blow outs I can have before my epic high school saga comes to a sterling but dramatic end.”

“Wait, are we talking about a party?”

“Jar-Pad gets it! You guys are definitely coming. Anyone who's anyone is gonna be there.”

This conversation was moving fifty miles faster than his brain could currently keep up with. They were invited to a party tonight? They as in Jared, too? But... he had something already going on tonight. Something important-ish. His masochistic eyes fell once again on the failed test in front of him. That's right. He had to study. He couldn't fail another test. He told Rosey that much.

“Study?” The senior reared back like his nose had been hit with a foul stench. “I'm gonna pretend you didn't just insult me like that.”

“Ew, who's studying?” Sophia draped herself along Mike's side. Still at a loss for words, he pointed at Jared. “Jar—ed,” she whined, pouting her lip and playfully stomping her foot. “You have to come. You have to experience at least one Rosey Rager in your life.” Around them cheers backing her claims assaulted him.

“Go!”

“It'll be fun!”

“Please, Jared!”

Jensen rested a hand on his shoulder. “Guys, leave him alone. If he doesn't want to go, you can't make--”

“No! No, I'll--” Jared swallowed, his mouth dry. The more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea became. “I'll go... It sounds fun. I can study any time, right?”

“Yay!” Sophia clapped at the speed of a hummingbird's wings.

“Woo! Rosey Rager!” Mike spun around and roared, igniting everyone's frenzy to palpable levels.

“Are you sure you wanna go?” Jensen asked into his ear.

Jared twisted around to face him. “I'm pretty sure... I've never been to a party before. Should I bring a gift or something?”

The laugh-lined skin around his eyes strained as Jensen chuffed out a short chuckle. “You don't need to worry about that.”

000

Nine different outfit changes later Jared circled back to his initial choice which was the kinda too tight jeans Jensen liked and a gray NASA shirt they had compromised on (space is cool for Jared and it had to be two sizes too small for Jensen). So now freshly showered and dressed, excitement was slowly creeping in. He was still terrified, no doubt, but this was his first high school party. He never thought he'd go to one, much less be invited. As far as his parents knew, he was going over to So and So's house to study.

The doorbell rang. Huh, Jensen was a little earlier than expected. Jared ran to the door but stopped himself. He took a deep breath.

Okay. He could do this. Tonight was going to be awesome.

He opened the door, already stepping out. His parents would eventually meet Jensen just... not tonight.

The smile on his face shuttered into confusion. He pulled the door shut behind himself. “Chad? Hey... what are you doing here?”

Chad, for his part, looked just as confused. “Dude, you invited me over. Remember, pizza and gaming?”

The reminder smacked him like a two by four. It wasn't studying he had planned. Fuck. He deflated. “Don't hate me, but I forgot.”

“You... forgot?”

At that moment, a car pulled into his driveway. They both squinted through the headlights until Jensen switched them off. While Chad's face hardened, Jared signaled for his boyfriend to give him a minute.

Jared already found himself babbling, “See, there's this party tonight. Something called a Rosey Rager? It's supposed to be really cool and a lot of fun. Jensen and I are gonna go. You should tag along. We could do our gaming night some other time--”

“I think I'll pass on 'tagging along,' thanks.”

He blanched. Stupid babbling. “No, no, I didn't mean it like that. You should come with us. You've always said you've wanted to go to a party. Here's your chance.”

“My chance to what-- be Jensen Ackles' plus one's plus one?”

Jared drew back from the sharp whip of his friend's tone. “... what's that supposed to mean?”

“It means I'm sick of everything always being about Jensen with you.”

His heart rate accelerated. His skin prickling. “It's not. I was invited, too, but thanks for assuming I wasn't. Why are you making a big deal out of this?”

Chad scrubbed his hands over his buzzed head. “Doesn't that -all of what's been going on- strike you as the least bit odd?” When Jared's head tilted in puzzlement, Chad's hands sliced through the air to hang in supplication at his sides. “Come on, Jare, you can't be this stupid. Something's going on here, can't you see that?”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

Ignoring all of the warnings -Jared's locked jaw and too still frame- Chad must have seen a green light to elaborate. “Don't you think it's weird that Mr. Perfect over there, boy of your dreams, starts dating you when before he never gave you the time of day? Now magically the popular kids are treating you like you're one of them?”

“You encouraged my relationship. Why are you--” Jared massaged his temples. “What are you saying, Chad?”

“It isn't real! Wake up, Jared! They're not your friends. They don't like you. He doesn't like you. Popular kids don't suddenly like the freak.”

His eyebrows flew to his hairline. “So I'm a freak now? I could have sworn you were my best friend.”

“I still am, Jare!” Instead of anger, Chad's face was beseeching. “This isn't you. You're just too dick-matized to see it.”

“I'm what?”

“Dick-matized. You're hypnotized by the dick. You won't see what's right in front of you.”

“... why can't you just be happy for me?” He forced out through his teeth. “Jensen wouldn't--”

“Man, fuck Jensen Ackles!” Chad exploded. “He's no different than the rest of those assholes. Hell, he may even be worse.”

Before Chad even finished, Jared chuckled at the ground, grinding the tip of his tongue into the sharp edges of his molars. “Wow... I see what this is about now... You're jealous.”

“Jealous?” What the fuck would I be jealous about?”

“Because for once, I have a life outside of you. Because for once, I'm not your little sidekick in the Chad Show, and you're no longer the center of my world. You just can't stand that I'm dating someone -someone incredible- and people see me and like me and you're still just a loser--”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back.

“Chad, I--”

Chad's hand flew up to stop him. “No, Jared, you're just being honest, right? Okay, let's be honest: I've been your best friend since the fifth grade and I thought that meant something to you, but maybe I should have spared myself having to listen to the constant stream of your awkward, angsting bullshit. Your fucking neediness always holding me back, because you're too afraid of everything.”His friend's face gnarled into a hateful baring of teeth. “Maybe I am a loser, but you are, too. And no new clothes or haircut is gonna change that. You're only as good as the fucktard you're dating right now, because once he dumps you, you'll go back to being the whiny, little bitch too scared to function that you really are.”

Shaking where he stood, Jared's insides boiled. His nostrils flared, and his mouth was fixed in a bloodless grin. His eyes wet. “... know when I say this, I mean it with every ounce of my 'whiny little bitch' self: Fuck. You.”

He moved past Chad and, temptation too great to resist, knocked hard into his shoulder, maliciously pleased by the other boy's hiss and stagger. He slammed the door closed behind him once he folded himself into the passenger seat of Jensen's car.

“Everything okay?” Jensen ventured.

The only sound in the space was Jared's harsh breathing. His eyes drilled holes into the squinted ones staring back at him across the yard. “Let's just go.”

Knowing better than to question it, Jensen put the car in reverse and drove.

_Fucking Chad._

Throughout the drive his tight-lipped reserve gave way to venting about all that had just taken place. How could Chad say those things? What was his God damn deal? Couldn't Chad see he was happy? The entire ride Jensen remained silent, just listening.

By the time they parked on the street a little ways down from a mcmansion thrumming with life, he was still fuming, but he had come to a conclusion: Forget Chad. He wasn't going to get what he wanted and ruin Jared's night. Forcing his anger down deep, he jumped out of the car. He bounced on the balls of his feet, waiting for Jensen, looking around him at the people coming from all directions and heading towards the same destination. Jensen moved slowly around the car and met him on the sidewalk.

When Jared started walking, Jensen took hold of his elbow and stopped him. Shadows pooled in the lines of concern on his face. “Are you sure you're up for this?”

“Of course, why wouldn't I be?”

“You're just... really upset.”

“I'm fine now, really.” He slapped on a flimsy smile. It stretched taut across his face. “I just really want to have some fun.” He went to go again and was stalled once more.

“Hey, why don't we skip the party?” Jensen suggested brightly.

“What? Why would we do that?”

“They're all the same really: Too crowded, music's too loud, a bunch of drunken idiots. You don't want to be immersed in all that, believe me.”

“But..” Jared's chin dipped low, all those nasty feelings from his fight with Chad seeping back to the forefront like a poison. He couldn't have that. “This is my first party., and I really want to go... I need this. Please, Jen?”

The other boy pursed his lips, his resolve weakening faced with Jared's pleading eyes. Finally, he relented. “... okay. If you really want to go, then okay.”

Victorious, Jared basically bounced to the front door, dragging Jensen behind him.

Tonight was going to be awesome.

000

“Okay, okay, so it's salt and then lime and then shot?”

“No, it's--”

“You're doing it wrong,” Katie spat, glaring at him across the kitchen island at least fifteen people were gathered around.

Jared's nose scrunched, perplexed. “Really? Because I feel great.”

And he really did. When they first entered through the front door, Jared's bravado had shrunk at the literal wall of bodies in front of them. Jensen had to take him by the hand and lead him through the shuffling process of moving between that many people deeper into the house. After the stopping and starting for hellos and hugs, they eventually made it to the kitchen where Jared soon learned he didn't fully understand what “packed” meant. The room with the booze was the beating heart of the party. As crowded as it was, traffic flowed easier in there as a keg stood in one corner and the counters were populated with a wide array of liquor bottles and mixers.

Once they were set up with their beverages (whiskey and diet for Jensen and a red solo cup filled with beer or what Jensen snootily referred to as “piss” which Jared pointedly drank with a flourish and a smack of his lips, forcing a grin to flicker through the other boy's sneers) they set out to “mingle” as Jensen had shouted into his ear. Mingling involved shadowing Jensen as he moved from one random person to the next. Jared didn't know how they managed to have any semblance of a conversation. The music was so loud he could feel the bass rattling his teeth. He watched Jensen's mouth move -never a hardship- but couldn't hear a word spoken. Jared honestly tried lip reading, but he ended up just smiling when appropriate and taking frequent sips of his drink whenever he felt awkward.

Needless to say, his beer disappeared a lot faster than anticipated. He held out as long as he could before the dry thirst in his mouth soured by encroaching thoughts about Chad got to be too much. After checking on Jensen's drink, Jared let him know through hand signals he was off to get another beer.

Cut to an hour later and in that time, Jared had been pulled into a game of beer pong as Genevieve's partner against Tom Welling and, their host, Rosey. After confirming, yes, they were talking to him, he warily agreed. The dining room they were in put them a little farther from the music, so Jared could hear the rules Rosey spouted but didn't understand the terminology much. “Gentleman's shot” and “Re-racks”? It was throwing balls into a cup, how hard could it be?

Turns out, very.

When you were playing against a guy on the varsity baseball team and their host who treated the drinking game as an Olympic event and your partner was a girl who tossed the ball in between running around to take pics with everyone in the vicinity, not to mention Jared's own general ineptitude, it was a torturous yet relatively short defeat. Each cup with a ball in it became Jared's to drink, because Genevieve swore up and down she was allergic to gluten. That final plop into their last cup was a death knell for Jared as their opponents whooped and high fived and beckoned Jared to their end of the table for extra punishment in the form of drinking what remained in their cups, like losing horribly wasn't embarrassing enough. Although once he drained that last bit of beer to a hearty chant of, “Chug-Chug-Chug,” it all didn't seem so bad. It was pretty hilarious.

Actually, everything was pretty hilarious.

“Check out this fuckin' beast!” Rosey slung an arm around Jared's neck, pulling him down to his height. “You deserve a fucking shot for downing all that and not being a bitch about it.”

He snagged people along the way as he dragged Jared into the kitchen where he proceeded to pour shots for the room's occupants. So that's where Jared was now, puzzling over the procedure of tequila shots. Even as Katie snapped at him, he could only laugh, unfazed.

Any negative feelings he might have walked in with had dissipated.

“Everyone got theirs?” Rosey stood at the head of the island like a king, his shot held aloft. “Good. Here's to my last year partying with you gorgeous bastards! Cheers!”

“Cheers!” chorused around the island as anyone who dared to clink glasses sloshed half their shot over their fingers and onto the granite top. Jared abandoned his conundrum and tipped the shot back with a shrug. The clear liquid burned on its way down. Tears sprung to his eyes. He hurried to bite into the lime wedge and sucked the tart juices down, numbing the fire down his throat with a disconcerting gurgle in his belly. Gulping down some beer fixed that right up though.

His experience with drinking up to this point went only as far as a couple smuggled beers and what he saw portrayed in movies. He'd seen it, but he never knew till now just how much fun it was. For one, it was so much easier talking to people. That mental dam was gone, and the words simply poured from him. There was no second guessing or worrying about whether something he said sounded dumb. It was wildly freeing. He even made friends waiting in line for the bathroom, talking and laughing to pass the time. A strange bond occurred when full bladders were involved.

When his turn finally came, that piss was the longest and most satisfying of his life. He stumbled on his way to the sink. He studied his ruddy cheeks as he washed his hands, deciding to stoop over to splash some cold water on his face and angling his head to gulp down as much tap water as possible. Pounding on the door rushed him out of there. He felt sturdier on his feet, maneuvering around people. He came to the conclusion that he should slow it down a bit. He was firm in this resolution until the trays of Jell-O shots were busted out.

000

Jared dwarfed nearly everyone in this house, how could he have lost him so quickly?

Jensen had finished his drink and was totally ready to move on from listening to Rachel go on and on about the routine Danneel had choreographed for the prom pep rally and why was she always put in the back and would Jensen be a sweetie and maybe bump her up to the front if he got captain next year? Talk of getting captain and all it entailed to get there had him craving another drink. The whiskey in his next cup contained a significantly more generous pour than the first.

Thanks to his popularity, his search for Jared was slow-going. When his texts went unanswered, probably because Jared wouldn't hear his phone in his pocket, he resorted to asking people. Most hadn't a clue and those who had seen him raved about him, like Rosey, for example, who declared, “That boy of yours is a motherfucking beast and have you heard his Yoda impression? Fucking classic, man!” Jensen was mildly surprised to hear that; He just assumed Jared would hide away in a corner somewhere, making himself as small as possible. Being constantly in the way was a fear he had confessed to Jensen. Just one reason out of several as to why Jensen had wanted to skip the party. Another reason being parties meant alcohol and alcohol meant loose lips.

By the time he completed one circuit through the sprawling first floor of the house, the living room had evolved into a rave. The music was still loud but bearable. Several of those cheap, rainbow disco globes littered the room. Jensen squinted through the chaotic overlays of color swirling over a sea of faces. He sneered, spying Amell preying on a group of JV cheer members who were hanging on his every word. Under his arm, he kept a baby-faced, Colin Ford tucked close. Typical.

He turned to keep looking and walked right into a solid chest.

“Sorry--”

“Jensen?”

He registered who was standing in front of him. “Tom?”

Tom Hardy from Warren High gave a him a crooked grin.

“What are you doing here?”

“Sophia invited me.”

“Oh... are you two close?” Maybe Sophia had taken him seriously when Jensen told her she could have the jock. He looked around but didn't see her anywhere.

Tom shrugged. “We've texted a little since the game, but... she's not really my type.” He stepped closer into Jensen's space, dipping his head to speak directly into Jensen's ear. “I was hoping to run into you.”

“Oh...” Jensen's gaze traveled unbidden down the jock's compact, muscular body. It was unfair how good he looked tonight, but the normal desire wasn't there. He took a step back to put some distance between them. “That's really flattering, but I'm kinda here with someone.”

Tom's bewilderment lasted all of two seconds before his mouth curved into a knowing smile, and he snapped his fingers. “That's right! Sophia was telling me about that. It's so nice what you're doing.”

“Yeah.” Jensen took a sip of his cocktail to cover the grimace on his face.

At that moment a beam of yellow struck his eyes, causing him to look past Tom and across the room. He saw red and felt green. He'd found Jared, only Jared wasn't alone on that dance floor. Jared danced just how he looked, like an overexcited puppy, bouncing around and swinging his hips a half second off the beat.

It'd be adorable if not for Brock Kelly hovering around him.

The low rent version of Jensen tipped Jared's head back and used his finger to scoop the dark blob from the plastic shot-sized cup in his hands into Jared's mouth. As Jared chewed and blinked owlishly at the other boy, Brock drew the same finger into his mouth, sucking on it and eying Jared like he was the world's tallest ice cream cone. When Brock spun around and put Jared's hands on his hips and started grinding back into him, Jensen snapped. Without saying another word to Tom, Jensen brushed past him and pushed his way through the throng of gyrating bodies.

“Jensen!” Jared's face broke out into an ecstatic smile. He frowned minutely when Brock held onto him and he yanked harder, freeing himself. He glommed onto Jensen. “Where have you been? I missed you!”

“Looking for you,” Jensen shouted back, calming under Jared's octopus arms and slapping on a smile for the sweet dimples out only for him.

Over Jared's shoulder, Brock glowered at them until he noticed the death glare Jensen was carving into him. Then there was that satisfying flash of fear. Jensen didn't need to raise his voice to get his message of “Get lost” across. Like the devil was on his heels, Brock disappeared into the crush of bodies.

And to think that was letting the thirsty twink off easy.

Jared pulled back from his embrace. “Ooo, have you ever had Jell-O shots? They're really, really good. They're like sweet and fruity and it's Jell-O, but you can still get drunk from them. Wanna try one? You should try one. Where are they?” His babbling cut off to look around for the boozy dessert, his cherry-stained lips drawn into the smallest pout.

Jensen's insides prickled with warmth. With Jared's shirt pit-stained from dancing and his hair a wild mess, it was at that moment Jensen realized why Tom Hardy wasn't doing it for him anymore. His heart pounded while his stomach sunk. He tossed back the rest of his drink.

He was so fucked.

His buzz was good and what he was thinking about sounded like simultaneously the best and worst idea. He didn't resist the impulse; he stretched onto his toes and pulled the unsuspecting boy into a kiss, tasting the sweet tang of Jell-O. Alcohol slowed Jared's reaction, but he quickly got with the program like it was a well-practiced art form. They stood making out in the middle of the dance floor, their grinding off from the rhythm of the music. Around them cat calls trilled and someone yelled for them to get a room. Like he just received permission, they both were dodging the crowd to race upstairs.

It was selfish on his part, but fuck... he wanted this.

000

People littered the stairs and the second floor hall. Jensen was significantly more successful navigating through the treacherous terrain of sloppy, knowing grins and precariously held drinks than Jared. To be honest, Jared's brain was still trying to catch up as to what exactly was happening or about to happen. All he really knew was the bitter taste of whiskey from Jensen's mouth clinging to his gums and Jensen's hand clasped tight in his as he led the search to find a vacant room.

It took several attempts of opening different doors -Jensen didn't bother knocking- and interrupting couples in various stages of coitus. One notable beast with two backs was Michael Weatherly and none other than Katie Cassidy. Jensen had snorted and left the door open on them, leaving Weatherly to waddle to the door, cupping his junk to close it. The last thing they heard before the door slammed shut was Katie's shrieked curses.

“That was so mean,” Jared giggled, tripping up behind Jensen and pressing his forehead against the knob at the base of the blond's neck.

“Well,” Jensen started, flipping on the lights to what had to be a guest room. With a strength honed from years of lifting and throwing girls over his head, he swung Jared into the room ahead of him. Laughter bubbled out of Jared as he landed on the bed with a bounce. The door closed, muting the music. Jensen pressed his back against it with a predatory grin. “That's what the lock on the door is for.” His wrist flicked, and Jared heard the lock click in place.

The gravity of where he was hit Jared and all his mirth faded into nerves.

He was in a locked bedroom with Jensen Ackles.

Jensen pushed off from the door and sauntered to the bed. Jared's heart rate kicked up as Jensen's hands rose to touch him, sliding up to his shoulders and pushing him flat onto the bed with a smirk. Jared's dick had stirred to life while making out downstairs on the dance floor, but after that shove, it was at full mast. Jared gulped as the other boy knee-crawled up the mattress and settled on his lap. His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he lay there stiff as a board.

“Wh-- what happened to going slow?”

“Screw slow.” Jensen leaned forward, lining their fronts together, and pressed Jared into the mattress. At Jared's sucked in breath, he paused. “Are you okay with this?”

He was kidding, right? Like this hadn't been Jared's fantasy since he first laid eyes on the boy above him.

“Yeah, totally,” Jared breathed.

Emerald eyes bored into his. Whatever Jensen saw was enough. His lips curled. “... kay,” he whispered in a tickle against Jared's lips before moving closer. The soft pecks he pressed to Jared's mouth -one, two, three- gained momentum until they were full blown kissing again. This, at least, Jared knew how to do, creeping his arms around a lean waist and tangling his tongue with Jensen's.

Just as things fell into a familiar rhythm, Jensen switched gears on him again, biting down on Jared's bottom lip and soothing it with tender swipes of his tongue. He sat up and in one fluid motion pulled his shirt off over his head, revealing pale muscles and tight, pink nipples. Jared's mouth watered at the sight of them. Thanks to whoever provided the Jell-O shots, Jared didn't think twice. His large hands engulfed Jensen's hips and he turned them over, reversing their positions. Judging by the cheerleader's overblown pupils, he'd never been flipped like that before. It gave Jared that extra bit of confidence to dive down and latch his mouth around one of those tempting nipples, biting and sucking at one then the other until they were stiff peaks.

Jensen gasped and surged off the mattress. “Oh fuck, Jay, touch me. Please.”

After double checking to make sure, Jared traced his hand down the ridges of Jensen's ribs, over the clenching muscles of his abs, and hesitantly landed on the burning line of Jensen's hard cock through his jeans. Jared's own dick twitched at the touch. As soon as he undid the belt and fastenings, Jensen was already lifting his hips and wiggling to push his pants and underwear down past the curve of his ass. Jared watched, hypnotized, as the most perfect set of cock and balls was revealed to him. Jensen's cut dick was thick and curved along the jut of his hip. The mushroom head matched the kiss-bruised pink of Jensen's lips. Top-rated porn stars couldn't compete, and the reality of a naked Jensen Ackles vastly surpassed the hours of contemplation Jared had logged into imagining it.

“Jay?”

Jared jumped, snapping himself out of it. His zero experience save for porn and masturbation left him clueless as to how to proceed. No way was he going to tell this experienced, gorgeous boy that he was a virgin. With a shaky hand, he grasped Jensen, feeling and squeezing the blood hot length of him.

“... can I suck you?”

Jensen startled. “What-- you want to?”

“Yeah.” Jared bent over to get close, breathing in the clean, musky scent. “Can I? Please?”

“Sure, um, let me just--” Seemingly thrown by the request, Jensen sat up and tugged off the rest of his clothes. His shoes hit the floor with twin thumps. He lay back, spreading his legs to make room for Jared, and Jared's brain whited out with the view such a move afforded him. There was no time for that though, he really wanted to make his boyfriend feel good, and he didn't want to do a bad job.

Drawing knowledge from thousands of X-rated videos, he ducked his head level with the cock in front of him. He jerked him a few times, studying the clear bead of fluid that swelled at the tip. He wet his lips and took a tentative lick, tasting salt and eliciting a small, hurt sound from above him. Fingers reached down to pet the top of his head. Emboldened, he slid the tip into his mouth and sucked lightly. Jensen's hips bucked at the action, forcing the head to ram the back of his throat and triggering a coughing fit.

“Sorry-sorry-sorry,” Jensen repeated. “I'm just not used to...”

Eyes watering, Jared cleared his throat. “It's okay,” he rasped.

“You can stop. You don't have to. I'm used to it being the other way around anyway--” Jensen sat up and tried to drag Jared up his body. Something clicked in Jared's mind just then: Had nobody taken the time to worship this Godlike creature as they should?

Determination set the line of his jaw and glinted in his eyes as he resisted Jensen's tugging. This time when he took Jensen's cock in his mouth, all his worry of doing it wrong melted away. He learned his lesson and braced his forearm across Jensen's hips as he pressed messy kisses along the vein that ran along the underside of Jensen's cock and wriggled his tongue inside the slit. Mindful of his teeth, he tried to stuff as much of his shaft down his throat as he could, backing off when he started to gag, and massaged whatever he couldn't fit with his hand. He slowly found a rhythm between his hand and bobbing his head and sucking. He dared a glance up the writhing stretch of Jensen's body to find lust blown pupils staring back at him.

Jensen's mouth hung open as moans and pleas for more spilled out. The hitches of Jensen's hips adopted a wild strength behind them and his hand slapped a frantic beat against Jared's shoulder. “Jay, Jay, I think I'm gonna-- fuck, I'm gonna--”

Despite the growing ache in his jaw, Jared doubled his efforts, hollowing his cheeks, and moving his head and hand at a faster speed. He watched through his bangs, enraptured as freckled eyelids squeezed shut, and Jensen's back arched off the bed. At the first acrid spurts of liquid that flooded Jared's mouth, Jensen relaxed with a long, guttural moan. Between the taste and visual, Jared's body seized up uncontrollably. Whimpering and dribbling out Jensen's load onto his cock, Jared ground his crotch into the mattress, chasing the surge of pleasure that had struck him like lightening.

“Holy shit, did you just--” Jensen panted.

Blushing, Jared let the softening dick slip from his bruised mouth. He shifted and grimaced. The slight movement reiterated the fact he'd just come in his jeans **again** without being so much as touched. He tried to console himself with the truth that no man (or woman for that matter) could withstand the power of Jensen Ackles in the throes of an orgasm. It was like staring into the Ark of the Covenant, except in the exact opposite, really awesome kind of way.

“C'mon, let me see.”

Jared couldn't very well lay there on his stomach all night. He rolled over, face turned away like a child about to be scolded, or worse, ridiculed for the fucking virgin he was.  


“That's fuckin' hot,” rumbled from Jensen's chest.

“... really? It's not pathetic?”

“What's pathetic about it? That it was a kick ass blow job at both ends?”

Jared cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the scratchiness. “I did okay then? You really liked it?”

“' **Okay** '?” The mattress dipped and wobbled as Jensen got on all fours to hover above him, smiling at him in disbelief from upside down, and damn if there was no angle in existence that Jensen could ever look bad from. “If I didn't like it, would my come be clinging to your chin right now?”

His thumb swiped up the cooling line from the mole on his chin to the corner of Jared's mouth and popped it between his lips. Jared's dick started to stir at the display and the lewd grin Jensen gave him. “I think the better question here is, do you think you can get it up again so you can fuck me properly?”

It was a good thing Jared was already lying down, because otherwise he would have passed out from how quickly all the blood rushed to his dick. “I-- I, uh, don't think that will be a problem.”

This time when Jensen dragged him up his body, Jared went with him. They made out, Jared's hands constantly roving and touching every inch of Jensen he could reach. He buried his head into the crook of Jensen's neck, nipping and kissing. Purring, Jensen reached for the bottom hem of Jared's shirt. Jared was so absorbed in marking the flesh between his teeth, it took him a moment to catch on. He tore himself away to rip his shirt over his head. Jensen, meanwhile, worked on undoing his pants. Jared stilled, self-conscious.

What if he wasn't big enough? Jared thought he was an okay size, but what if Jensen didn't like it?

“Oh,” Jensen gasped once Jared's dick hung free from his open fly. His swollen mouth puckered in a juicy “O”. A pretty flush bloomed across the bridge of his nose and down his neck, camouflaging Jared's work. Jared felt him twitch against his thigh as Jared shifted on his knees. Not taking his dilated black eyes off his dick, Jensen murmured in a breathy voice, “There's uh--” He licked his lips. “There's lube and a condom in my pants.”

Afraid to ask the many questions that immediately sprang to mind- had he done something wrong? Did Jensen carry around that stuff all the time?- Jared shuffled off the bed to root around in Jensen's jeans. When he found them, he tossed the items on the bed. He kicked his shoes and socks off, scooting out of his pants, heart threatening to break free from his chest. When he turned around, all the air left his lungs. He squeezed the base of his cock in a stranglehold.

Jensen had already snatched the lube. Cheerleader flexibility had his knees tucked up by his ears, his fingers working in and out of his hole with efficient movements. Salivating, Jared crawled to get closer. One then two fingers disappeared up to sun-spotted knuckles. The full spread of Jensen on display had him reaching out to touch with shaky fingertips.

“You want me to--”

“No time,” Jensen gritted out. “I need that monster in me right fucking now.” He forced in a third finger, scissoring himself open. “Condom on. Now.”

Face slack, Jared nodded but didn't move.

“Jared!”

“Right!” Jared tore himself away from the mesmerizing sight and lunged for the foil packet. He struggled to open it, his eyes drifting back to the soft squelching he wanted nothing more than to bury his face in. His hurry ground to a distracted halt.

Jensen huffed, exasperated. “Fuck it, good enough.” He hooked his fingers and tugged for one last stretch before tackling Jared. Jared fell back with an “Oomph!” his head hanging off the bed. Jensen plucked the crinkled condom packet from his hand and tore it open with his teeth. Jared's heart hammered as the latex rolled down his length with a ring of impatient fingers then more lube was worked over him. Jensen rose up on his haunches, holding Jared's cock steady.

Fuck-- fuck, this was really happening.

He fought the urge to throw his head back, keeping his eyes fixed on the tip of his cock kissing Jensen's hole. Jensen lowered himself enough that the head popped in. Every muscle in Jared's body locked up as searing heat swallowed him whole in a measured slide down. He grabbed hold of Jensen's waist -squeezing bruises- doing all he could not to shoot when he was already so close. Hitches of breath left the other boy with every inch he impaled himself on, his face an intense study of concentration. When the soft swell of Jensen's ass landed on Jared's lap, the only sounds in the room were Jensen's deep breathing while Jared's lungs burned. He wanted so badly to move. Jensen lifted up the tiniest bit and screwed himself back down, experimentally circling his hips.

Jared could have died.

“You good?” Jensen bit out.

Jared looked up at him in shock, his chest heaving. “Shouldn't I be asking you that?”

Full lips twitched. Jensen shifted and braced his hands on Jared's pecs. “Hold on.”

_Hold on?--- Holy fucking shit!_

Jensen rose up until only the head was inside and dropped down with a smack. Jared yelped, his hands scrambling to grip onto Jensen's hips, making the other boy smirk. But Jensen didn't let up from there. He did it again and again until he was bouncing on Jared's dick. Jared could only hold on as Jensen rode him, his toned thighs bringing him up and down in a rolling rhythm.

Jared tried to muffle his groaning to hear the hisses and mewls coming through Jensen's bared teeth. His blond spikes askew, splotches of color glowed on his cheeks and across his chest. His pretty cock slapped Jared's stomach, smearing shiny dots of precome. His tight body worked Jared like he was his own personal dildo. Jared didn't think Jensen could look any more beautiful than he did right then.

Wrong.

Jared's restraint couldn't last any longer and his hips bucked of their own accord, forcing startled moans out of them both. Jensen's rhythm stuttered. Jared's instincts took over. Digging his heels into the mattress, he started thrusting in earnest. His eyes jumped back and forth between the pleasured snarl on Jensen's face and where Jared's cock speared him open. One particular thrust sent Jensen collapsing onto his chest with a cry. Jared kept going, wrapping his arms around Jensen to keep him there. Jensen's moans grew in volume with each thrust nailing his prostate. As Jensen's eyes rolled into the back of his skull and fell shut, Jared strained forward to kiss him. Jensen keened at the brush of lips and knotted his fingers in Jared's hair, dragging him closer to ravage his mouth.

“Fuck, baby, you feel so good,” Jensen growled against his lips. He writhed on top of Jared, his dick pinned and grinding between their bellies.

His words spurred Jared on to fuck him harder, his cock punching moans out of him. Jensen's body began to quake. His movements grew more desperate until, with a sob, he stilled. Liquid heat flooded the space between them, slicking their stomachs. The sudden constriction around his cock triggered Jared's own orgasm, his thrusts going short and sloppy, his balls drawing up and emptying inside the ass he was determined he was going to marry someday. He flopped back with a grunt. His head dangled off the mattress, the sweat clinging to his hair plip-plopping to the floor.

000

It was forever (not long enough) before Jensen rolled off him. Jared shivered when his softening dick slipped out of Jensen and his whole front was exposed to the cool air. After tossing the condom in the direction of the waste basket, they spooned up under the covers, still fighting to catch their breaths. Jensen hummed under the weight of Jared's arm, their sweat gluing them together. Jared kept his hand loose and pliable as the other boy traced the lines of his palm and toyed with the length of his fingers.

“... I'm promising myself next time to have the patience to let these open me up.”

Jared laughed quietly and buried his nose behind Jensen's ear, breathing him in. “I'll go in on that promise, too.”

They didn't feel the need to fill the silence for a short while, content to laze together. Eventually, Jensen let out a muted snort.

“Hm?”

Even with him facing the other direction, Jared could hear the amused surprise in his voice. “I've never cuddled with anyone before.” He scooted back, fully plastering himself against Jared. The perfect curve of his ass was a puzzle piece fit against Jared's crotch. “I like it.”

“Me too.” Jared's dick perked at the contact, but he simply didn't have the strength to do anything about it. “... I guess it's been a whole night of firsts.”

Jensen turned his head the slightest bit, intrigued. “Oh yeah? This was your first party, right?”

“Well, that and uh...” Jared's earlier reticence about divulging his virginity now felt insignificant. His heart felt too big and the happiness inside spilled out through the smile stretching his face. “This,” he finished.

Jensen went rigid against him. “... what do you mean?”

“I've never been with anyone before you.”

The line of Jensen's shoulders curled inward. The relaxed lilt to his voice gone. “Are you serious? Why didn't you tell me?” Keeping his back to Jared, the hot brand of his backside moved away and out of his arms, leaving Jared bereft.

“I-- I didn't think it mattered?”

“It matters, because you should have told me,” Jensen snapped, sitting up and throwing the blanket off himself. The sinuous lines of his back were rigid with agitation. He hung his head and sighed. “You should have saved that for someone special.”

Jared sat up. The covers pooled in his lap. He laughed uneasily, hoping to erase the strange tension in the room. “Jen, I'm not some girl who was saving her precious flower. This was actually pretty perfect. And besides, I did save it for someone special: You.”

“Don't say that.”

Jared took a fortifying breath. He needed to convince Jensen. If you feel it, say it, right? “Jensen, I'm not saying anything just to say it. I lov--”

“Stop!” Jensen twisted around and pressed his fingers against Jared's lips. His face pained and green eyes glassy. “Just... stop, okay? We've both been drinking so-- so just don't. I'm gonna go get us some water. You stay here.”

Something inside Jared told him not to argue, despite how sober he felt. With his brows drawn, he nodded under the pressure of Jensen's fingertips.

“Good.” Jensen's mouth flickered with a not-quite smile. His eyes roved over Jared's face and his hand slid from Jared's mouth to cup his jaw. Jared didn't close his eyes as Jensen leaned in for a slow kiss. When it ended, he withdrew and immediately went about gathering his clothes. As stretches of naked skin were covered up, Jared was too confused to fully appreciate how he now knew how far down Jensen's freckles went. Finished, Jensen combed a hand through his mussed hair.

“Jen?” Jared bit his lip. “Even though you don't want to hear it, I do.”

They'd only been dating for weeks, but Jared had loved him for years.

Jensen flashed another not-quite smile. “I'll be right back.”

Once the door closed behind him, Jared flopped back with a huff. Just when he thought he was doing better, he found a way to screw it up. Jensen didn't seem that mad, he reasoned. He would be back soon. They would talk about it then.

Everything was fine.

His earlier joy crept back onto his face. As gross and sticky as his crotch felt -his pubes matted with lube and sweat- he reveled in the sensation for the pure fact it was there. It had happened. He'd had sex -mind-blowing sex- with the most amazing guy. Jared had hoped tonight would be awesome; he'd had no idea it would turn out to be a dream come true.

Rolling over, he stretched to retrieve his discarded jeans off the floor. He dug his phone out to check the time. His stomach dropped. Seven missed calls and twelve texts.

His curfew was hours ago.

000

He was still struggling to right the hem of his shirt snagged around his torso as he dashed down the stairs. How he didn't trip and break his neck was beyond him. Plunging back into the dim chaos of the party was an unwelcome change compared to the peaceful intimacy of the guest room with Jensen. He dodged people on his way back to the kitchen, his boyfriend nowhere in sight.

“Jay-Rod!” Rosey greeted, brandishing a neon bottle. “Body shot?” He tipped it at the pair of girls displayed on the counter, giggling with their belly button rings exposed.

“Uh... no, thank you. Have you seen Jensen?”

“Jenny? Oh yeah, he asked if there was anywhere private to talk and snatched Danni right from my clutches.”

_Private?_

“Where did they go?”

000

Thanks to Mike's shoddy directions -like a dog constantly spotting a squirrel- he found the hallway that had been purposefully blocked off from the rest of the party. As Rosey put it, his dad would “stuff his nuts in a blender and set that shit on puree” if anything happened to his office. Jared wondered what Mike's dad did for a living to afford such a huge house as he crept down the darkened corridor. A slice of light from a door left ajar at the end of the hallway gave him a clear idea where his boyfriend was. He paused outside at hearing Jensen's irate tone.

“Remind me why you're here again? Don't you have a walk of shame you should be doing?”

Jared's eyebrows flew to his hairline. Who was he talking to, because no way in hell would he talk that way to Danneel. The question was quickly answered by the recipient's sneering reply.

“Oh, I'm here, because all cheer business includes me, too. And shouldn't we both be taking that walk, Jenny? At least a dumb jock makes sense to scratch an itch, but you? You're like Frankenstein building his monster just to fuck it.”

“Shut up, Katie, it's not like that. I'm saying you could have at least tried to be discrete. What if it got back to DJ about you cheating on him with Weatherly?”

“First off, kind of hard to be discrete when you've got certain assholes walking in on you and leaving the door open. Dick move by the way. And second, why should I care if DJ hears about it? I let that weirdo so much as graze my tit and he'll believe anything I tell him. And lastly, how the hell am I cheating? It's not a real relationship. You, of all people, should know that. What are you doing acting all faithful to your case? You do realize you don't have to fuck him, right?”

When she first started talking, Jared only felt pity for DJ. Katie didn't like him? Katie didn't consider them even together? Then, Jared blustered as Katie turned the conversation around on Jensen. Like Jensen understood what she was saying. Like Jensen and she were similar in this way. Jensen cared about him.

He--- he said so, hadn't he?

Jared pushed closer to the opening.

“Well if he moved anything like he did dancing earlier, I'm sure the sex was tragic.” A new voice, Danneel, commented, provoking a snort from the blonde.

“Stop it, he--” Jensen started, but Katie finished for him.

“Has a big dick? God, that would be the only redeeming quality about that loser.”

Jared knew, objectively, the girls were talking about him. He didn't feel their scathing insults though; he only felt his boyfriend's lack of defense. His utter silence in the midst of their derisive laughter. A steel claw clamped over Jared's chest and began crushing.

Danneel's laughter dwindled. “Why did you drag me in here, Jenny, when there's a perfectly good party going on?”

Desperate to hear something-anything- from the other boy, Jared angled his head closer.

Jensen took his time until he finally answered, “... I don't think we -I- should do this anymore.”

As Katie flat out cackled at the suggestion, Danneel didn't seem to share the sentiment and sighed. “... we've gone over this a million times. Do I need to remind you again what this is about?

“Being captain is like... adopting a mangy, flea-bitten puppy. They're simply helpless. They piss on the rug and chew up the cord of your charger, but it's your job to clean them up, train them, and make them Best in Show. That giant sasquatch you've had following you around the last month is your puppy, and you've been great so far. Jenny, if you can't handle one little nobody, why should I hand you the reigns to the whole squad? Take this seriously and everyone wins.”

“... like leaving him better off than I found him?”

Jared listened to Jensen's hesitant question with a stony face, tears spilling over and trailing down his cheeks.

“Exactly, but if you want out so badly, just hang in there till prom and ditch him like you agreed. It'll be very character-building for him.”

The door swung open, and three heads swiveled in its direction to find Jared standing statue still. His gaze was trained on the hardwood floor.

Jensen sat up from his slouch on the leather loveseat. “Jay?”

“... is it true?”

“Is what true? How long have you--”

“What she said, is it true? That you're only with me as some fucked up test to become captain?”

“Jay--” The nickname made him flinch. “I don't know what you're--”

“Don't lie!” he shouted. The other boy sucked in a sharp breath but went silent. Moss green eyes fell away from Jared's wet stare.

That was his answer.

The inward collapse of his chest cavity joined the churning in his gut. He'd foolishly been hoping he had heard wrong, that Jensen would never do something like this to him. He couldn't, but...

“Oh wow, this is just too good,” Katie snickered from her perch on the edge of the huge desk. “You didn't actually think you were one of us, did you? That Jenny saw something special in you?” At the jumping tendon in Jared's jaw, she clasped her hands over her chest and pouted. “Aw, that's so cute!”

“Katie,” Danneel chided.

… it was a lie. It was all a lie. It wasn't real, none of it was.

His eyes pleaded with Jensen to deny it. To please, please tell him it was a joke. His throat shriveled with emotion.

It was a joke, alright, only Jared turned out to be the punchline.

“... Jen?” he tried, voice cracking.

Jensen's lips pursed, his head low. On Jensen's neck were the love bites Jared had reverently planted, letting the world know who he belonged to.

But he'd never belonged to Jared. Not even for a second.

Jared couldn't stay there for a moment longer. He ran. He tore down the hall stumbling and slamming into the walls, the bursts of pain non-existent or more accurately, incomparable with the crumbling sensation inside his chest.

He had to get out of there.

Emerging back into the party was a shock to his system: The flashing lights stained his retinas; the music was a dull, insulated roar against the thudding in his head; the moving, laughing blurs around him were too much, too close-- Did they all know? Were they all in on the joke?

His limbs moved in erratic uncoordinated jerks as autopilot took over, and all he wanted to focus on was finding a way out. He had to get out. He left a trail of angry people in his wake, cursing after the drunk moron that knocked into them. Air pumped in and out of his lungs at a rapid pace. It was hot -too hot- in here. Sweat poured from him and stung his eyes. That's why they were stinging and not--

Frigid night air smacked into him like he'd just crashed through a wall, causing him to stumble and trip onto the front yard. He didn't feel it when he fell. He stayed hunched there on his knees, fistfuls of grass clutched in his hands as he stared sightlessly down at the ground, tears clinging to his lashes and falling.

This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. His heart wasn't built for this.

“Jay, can you hear me?”

His eyes slammed shut at that familiar, honey-whiskey voice. When a hand skimmed his flank, he staggered to his feet, ripped blades of grass sprinkling from his fists. “Don't touch me.” He swallowed his heart trying to crawl its way up his throat. “Just tell me none of that was true.”

Jensen rose from his kneel with a wince. A wince Jared helped put there. “I'm sorry. You weren't ever supposed to find out.”

Hearing just the implication of those words, a switch in him flipped and he turned the shattering pieces inside him outward as sharp-edged weapons. “So, you were going to what, dump me on prom night and I was supposed to go on my merry way? Like none of it ever happened? Like how I feel was nothing? Sorry to ruin your big 'character-building' plan.”

“That's not what I meant. I couldn't ever do that to you, you know that.”

“Do I?” It hurt to look at the other boy. “Every moment you spent with me was just a means to an end for you. The guy I fell f-- thought I knew wouldn't have made my life a game.”

“Jay, no--”

“Stop calling me that!” he snapped, his thin veneer of anger splintering. He needed to cling to the boiling in his veins, because if he didn't, he'd collapse into a thousand pieces on Mike Rosenbaum's front yard. “It doesn't mean the same to you as it does to me.”

“Okay,” Jensen acquiesced. He didn't stifle his disappointment when he tried to draw closer and Jared moved farther away. “But you aren't just a means to an end to me, not anymore at least. I never meant for it to go this far. You know how much getting captain means to me, and Katie was gunning for it, too and--”

Jared scoffed. Fucking Katie. “Let me guess, you were scared to lose captain and therefore Daddy's approval, so you decided to go all in and whore yourself out for the cause?”

For the second time that night, he immediately regretted his ugly words. And just like with Chad, the damage was already done.

The doleful slant to Jensen's face split into a snarl. “You got what you wanted though, didn't you? You got to fuck Jensen Ackles. All your work is done. You don't have to pretend you only liked me for my sparkling personality.”

The steel in his voice dissolved into acidic gossamer. Jensen swiped his hand across his quivering sneer. “... you think I don't know what everyone at school thinks of me? I'm just a piece of ass with blowjob lips only good for jumping around and waving poms poms. But if I'm captain then-- then I'm someone to be respected. I'm more than some slut. I need you to understand that.” He deflated, the misty sheen to his eyes glittered in the streetlamps.

Still gorgeous. Jared hated himself for noticing it even now, and maybe that was Jensen's point. He knew Jensen was wrong though; Jared saw more than a pretty face and loved him for it (and just that thought struck his chest with a crippling jolt). But none of that mattered. Jared was just a chore to him.

This beautifully perfect boy never loved him back. He was stupid to have ever believed otherwise.

Like pinching open a crumpled ball of paper, a watery smile unfolded on his face. His voice trembled from the tight squeeze of his throat. “... well, I'm glad to have been of service to you. I really hope you get captain.... Goodnight, Jen.”

The other boy flinched like the words physically struck him. Jared didn't know how he turned away and started walking. Every step felt like his legs might buckle under him. The direction didn't matter, he just needed to be gone.

It hurt more when Jensen didn't even call for him to come back.

A block away, he broke down against a fence in a black stretch between streetlights. The contents of his stomach rushed from his mouth in a fiery gush, burning his throat and searing his nostrils. He coughed and heaved for long minutes after there was nothing left to puke, his stomach in knots and his face smeared with bile and snot. Holding his middle, sobs wracked his frame as the tears poured freely. Such pathetic sounds left him as he mashed his forehead against a fence post.

He'd never felt so alone.

Jensen was a lie.

Chad was gone.

He needed to get home.

He wanted to die in this spot.


	3. Chapter 3

When Jeff was the one that guided him through the front door, his parents took one look at his red-eyed, devastated face and their righteous fury took a step back. The last thing Jared heard as he dragged himself up the stairs was Jeff giving a cursory explanation about teenagers and first love and to lay off of him for the next few days. Jeff didn't even really know what had happened; Jared had called in hysterics to be picked up and by the time Jeff had made it out there, Jared had gotten into the car, blank-faced and numb. When Jeff failed to get anything out of him, he asked if something had happened with Jensen, and the first sign of emotion rippled across his face. All Jared could manage to say was, “It didn't work out.”

Flipping on the light in his room, puffy eyes floated over the piles of clothes he'd sifted through hours ago, so excited and naïve. He flipped the light off. He shuffled to his bed and crashed, and he crashed hard.

He woke up nine hours later, looked at the clock and the sunshine blazing around the edges of his curtains, rolled over and went back to sleep. And that's what he did the rest of the weekend: He slept. He slept for as long as he could and when he couldn't, he pretended to, because sleep meant not having to think or feel. He only left the cocoon of his bed when he needed to use the bathroom and to make himself eat when his mother threatened to take him to a doctor. Those long, uncomfortable meals were comprised of Meg's averted gaze and his parents trying to talk to him to no avail. Jeff was busy with exams, so when Monday rolled around, Jared didn't rise like clockwork. He couldn't. His mother that morning, bless her, had patted his side and murmured she loved him and she'd call his absence in, leaving behind several fresh water bottles on his nightstand.

Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, fuck it could have been Thursday for all he knew, he woke up to a presence entering his room and dropping down onto his bed, jostling him so violently there was no way he could have faked his way through it.

He craned his neck and squinted dry, itchy eyes over his shoulder. He laid his head back down and croaked, “Thought you were done with me.”

Propped against his headboard, Chad's reply carried a shrug. “You're my best friend. I tried texting.”

On his nightstand his phone sat dead, the charger lying inches away.

His cracked lips twitched in wry amusement. “Didn't seem to be the case last time we spoke.”

Chad didn't take the bait though. “I was pissed... and you were right. I was jealous. You had a new best friend and you were popular, and you had a whole new life I wasn't part of. It was the life I wanted, and I didn't know how to handle it. The shit I said? I didn't mean... there's no good excuse for it. I'm sorry, Jare.”

Jared turned over in shock. Chad never apologized. When they were twelve, he had demolished one of the pies Jared's mom had made for the church bake sale, and he had merely shrugged in the face of her horror and complimented her on her generous use of blueberries. The fact he was doing so now must mean...

He sunk into the mattress and stared into the side of Chad's baggy shirt. “... so you know.” Chad nodded, and Jared's stomach curdled. “Are you going to say I told you so?”

“I wish I didn't have to.”

Something inside Jared broke after days of comatose listlessness. “I thought he really cared about me.” A dry sob tore from his throat. Hands dragged him into Chad's lap where he buried his face into the wrinkled folds of his shirt and wept. Chad rubbed soothing circles into his back.

“I know, bud. I know.”

000

“He's been dancing around it, but I really think Tom might invite me to his school's prom. I mean, I already mentioned ours like a kazillion times.”

Jensen took a burning sip of extra black coffee. He hadn't been sleeping much. His mind was miles away from Sophia's prattling. His eyes were searching, scanning, -fuck it- hoping. It was another morning before school, and he was watching the school's front entrance like a hawk. He perked up some. Across the courtyard was perhaps the next best thing.

“Jenny, are you even listening?”

“No,” he said absently, getting up to walk away. He followed the blond kid all the way inside and to his locker. “Hey, uh, Chris, right?”

Squinted eyes alighted on him before returning to his lock combination. His face wrenched into a scowl. “It's Chad,” he spat. “And what's your name again? Motherfucking Asshole?”

Jensen's cheeks hollowed as he nodded minutely. “You wouldn't be wrong.” When Chad continued rifling through his locker, Jensen shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “... so, um... have you seen Jared at all? He won't answer any of my texts.”

The locker slammed shut. “And why should he? What-- you haven't broken his heart enough? Man, you are a piece of work.”

“I really need to talk to him.”

“Why should I give a fuck about what you need?”

Jensen ignored that, imploring. “It's important, please?”

“You know what really blows my mind?” Chad asked, measuring Jensen up and down with an incendiary glare. “Even now he still thinks you're something special. Thinks you're more than those plastic jerks you surround yourself with and that I just didn't know you so I can't see it. Well... guess I was right. Again.”

Jensen swallowed what Jared's friend said down like a bitter pill, thinking of the awful things he accused Jared of. “... he really thought that?”

“Yeah, and boy, was he wrong. You know what else? He was actually _grateful_ that you even knew he existed and that was before all the dating crap. He believed -fuck still does- that you were too good for him. Jared's the best guy I know, and he had that shit backwards. He was too good for you.”

“... I know.” Jensen shrunk under the diatribe. Chad seemed appeased with having gotten that out, and he went to head towards his first class. “Wait!” Jensen stepped in his path. “Can you please tell me when Jared will be back?”

Chad sneered. “That's none of your business. Jared, might be too much of gentleman, but I'm not. Come near him, and I swear I'll punch your pretty face in.” With another severe glare to drive his threat home, Chad shouldered past Jensen and stalked down the hall.

Tipping back his head, Jensen drained the rest of his coffee. The burn rushing down his throat almost punishing. He looked up, almost expecting to see the disgusted wrinkling of a thin, pointed nose and Jared fake gagging at his caffeine choices.

Jensen's stomach gurgled sickly, demanding food.

Instead, he pulled out of his cell and brought up Jared's number and added another message to the dozens of others that had gone unanswered.

_Please talk to me. When are you coming back?_

000

The next morning, Jensen was back in his stakeout spot and he didn't even fully register who he was finally staring at, caught off guard as he was. The girls around him were going on and on about dresses and sharing a limo, but all his focus was claimed by the boy who stepped haltingly onto campus. Jensen didn't realize the full depth of how much he missed him until he was right there, only thirty feet away. With Chad by his side, Jared used his long legs to carry him at a fast clip into the building, his face downcast and his shoulders pulled up to his ears.

Jensen had been waiting to see him for days, and now that he was here, he was frozen in place.

000

It would be an understatement to say Jared really didn't want to be here.

His dad had put his foot down though and insisted enough was enough. Finals were just around the corner, and Jared couldn't afford to miss anymore school, “because of some teen melodrama.” So here he was. At least he had Chad. He had held Jared as he cried it out and Jared eventually had enough mind to apologize for all the shitty things he had said to him.

Although he'd left out the more explicit details, Chad was the only person who knew what went on that night from the beginning to the gruesome end. Chad had listened without making one wisecrack or disparaging remark about Jensen, knowing it wasn't needed. Getting it all off his chest had helped Jared feel the tiniest bit less alone. Even more so when Jared stepped reluctantly out of his front door this morning -sunlight he hadn't seen in days stinging his eyes- to find Chad waiting for him on the curb, a greasy bag of breakfast sandwiches held proudly in his hand. It was the first significant amount of food Jared had had since that Friday, and it sat heavily in his gut and flat out threatened to make a reappearance as they walked into school.

He had a childish hope that things would go back to normal for him. Chad had tried his best, but Jared could feel the stares, the zoo exhibit spectating. Keeping his eyes glued to the stretch of floor in front of him, he went straight to his locker. It was such an uneventful trek, he was starting to think maybe he had blown things out of proportion. The whole school didn't know or care. Jared was a blip, a “nobody” as Danneel had so aptly put it. He was the kid in fourth grade who Ms. Huffman forgot to assign a role to in their class play. At the last second, she'd dressed him in black and had him hold a flashlight over his head and act as a streetlamp.

What had happened with--- It was old news.

His eyebrows stitched together as he approached his locker. That sinking feeling he was beginning to become well-acquainted with was starting to fester.

“The hell?” Chad murmured at his side.

Jared reached for the sign taped to the door.

**Now accepting donations! Every penny counts!**

Flushing, he crumpled the sign up and hurried to enter his combination. The sooner he started the day, the sooner it would end.

Looking around them, Chad opened his mouth, “Jare, I'm not so sure you should--”

He opened the door and a cascade of pennies came rushing out at him, pelting his feet and the floor around him in a ringing metallic flood. He stood there in utter disbelief as raucous laughter filled the hall. He stared vacantly down at the mess of coins, his vision blurring.

He never wanted so badly to just disappear.

When Chad started guffawing at his side, he looked at his friend, hurt and confused. Chad wasn't deterred, roaring his amusement. His over the top display stemmed most of the cackles around them into uneasy titters. He kept going until he yelled, addressing everyone in the area.

“That's hilarious! But joke's on you, you dumb bitches! Ever heard of CoinStar? You asshats just bought me and my bro here a bomb-ass dinner at like Olive Garden or something so HA!” Both hands flipped the bird to everyone watching. He then dropped to the floor and proceeded to scoop the pennies into his bag. “Give me a hand, Jare. This is your money, after all.”

Jared watched, bemused as Chad worked and shot the stink eye to anyone he perceived coming too close.

For the first time in what felt like a long time, Jared laughed.

000

The worst thing about that first period bell ringing, aside from being late to class due to collecting every cent per Chad's instructions, was Jared was essentially on his own for the majority of the day. For someone who'd lived so long as a nobody, he had gotten scarily used to being a somebody. People he thought were maybe his friends didn't look through him like they had before Jensen; they saw him now and snickered. He could hear snippets of their whispering; things like “So pathetic” and “It all makes sense now” and “Jensen would never really--” Each comment stung, not because of their ridicule, but how true they were. His back ached and his neck cramped with how small he tried to make himself.

And to think he had a whole year of this to look forward to until graduation.

Come time for gym class, he was still on the fence whether to skip it. He didn't think he could do it. His classmates making fun of him he could handle (they'd hopefully forget about him with time), but if he witnessed Jensen joining in? That would ruin him more than the current decimation he was limping through. Just the thought of seeing Jensen made his heart race to cardiac arrest levels. The decision was taken out of his hands though. Chad met him outside of his last class before that dreaded period and strong-armed him all the way there.

“You're not gonna hide, dude.”

000

Jared couldn't tell you what activity Beaver had planned for them in gym that day. He mainly stared at the ground and followed Chad's raggedy shoelaces wherever they went -too petrified to look up- while his friend kept up a running commentary about anything and everything. He flinched his way through Amell and Weatherly's ham-fisted taunts, Chad knowing better than to say anything. All Jared kept thinking about -all he kept waiting for- was strong fingers to tangle with his or a solid weight to jump on his back.

Towards the end, Jensen seemed to really enjoy the fact Jared was bigger than him--

_Nope. Stop thinking about that_. He bit down harshly on the inside of his cheek. He was so sick of crying.

“You really don't want to go to lunch?”

He shook his head, taking his time tying his shoes. He held himself rigid as bodies filtered out of the locker room around him, waiting for the next cruel dig.

Chad sighed above him. “Okay, how about this: I'll go grab us some grub and meet you at the bleachers--”

He shook his head vigorously. He couldn't go there. Too many memories.

“Okay, okay, the courtyard? It's a nice day out, sunny and shit.”

Jared nodded this time, albeit grudgingly. There were still memories, but Jared had to give it to Chad. He was trying. He knew his friend had to be worried if he was commenting on the fucking weather.

“Cool, so I'll meet you outside in ten-ish?”

Jared nodded. One shoe down.

“Hey, you'll be okay?”

That seemed like a broad question. Okay for the next ten minutes or in general? He really couldn't say much to the latter, but he was sure he could survive the next six hundred sum seconds without Chad, and he pointed that out to his friend.

“Alright, fine, I'm going.” He listened to Chad leave and as soon as he heard the door close and he was finally alone, he slouched like his strings had been cut. He breathed into the cage of his hands. With the number of eyes on him all day, watching for his breakdown, he really needed this moment alone.

“Hey...”

His muscles clenched. The breaths pushing in and out of his lungs shortened and increased. A voice he'd been desperately missing and hoping to never hear again. His hands fell away and looked up, because he couldn't not.

His heart shuddered and bled.

The beautiful face that'd been featured in his dreams and nightmares in equal measure the last several days was gazing at him now with a look of apprehension. The dark smudges under his eyes complemented Jared's in shade and depth. Because he was a masochist, Jared scanned his neck for the marks he'd put there, but they were gone. Erased under layers of concealer.

He had been erased.

Jensen kept his distance at the end of the row of lockers, looking small. “How have you been?”

After a variety of imagined ways this conversation could begin, Jared never visualized it to be so quiet and with such an innocuous question. The absurdity of it sparked a dry, lifeless chuckle from him. “What do you think?”

Stunningly crafted features winced. “Did you get any of my texts?”

Jared shrugged, noncommittal. When he had finally plugged in his phone to charge, the screen lit up and dinged with a litany of missed calls and texts, many of which were from the boy in front of him. He hadn't had the guts to read any of the messages as of yet.

“I've been trying to talk to you all day. I just want to explain--”

“No, you haven't. You've been trying to find an opportunity to talk to me where no one else would see. I mean, there's no reason for you to be seen in public with me anymore.”

“That's not true.” Jensen surged closer, pained. “I just didn't want there to be an audience. My life, you and me, it doesn't belong to them.”

Soft and hurt, he mumbled, “You could have fooled me. Oh wait, you did.”

The dark green of Jensen's eyes was pleading. They reminded Jared of that day in the library when Jensen had been almost adamant that Jared tell him to fuck off. Well, knowing what he did now, that look had a whole new meaning, and Jared almost wished he had.

Almost.

“I've been thinking...” His empty stare followed the lines and whirls of his hands in his lap, seeing the path Jensen's fingers had traced and cradled when they were in bed. His throat fluttered. “The plans we made, like things we wanted to do this summer or watching Star Wars together... they were all just talk, weren't they? You had no real intention of doing any of that.”

“That was before, but--”

“And all that stuff about you wanting to take things slow, that was just crap? You just wanted to put off having touch the freak.”

“No! You know that's not true. You know that when I kissed you, I couldn't stop kissing you.”

Jared didn't know what was true anymore. “Just not where any of your friends could see.” His insides were shivering with suppressing the full intensity of his emotions. He was afraid to ask if Jensen had-- with other people. Katie had, why wouldn't Jensen?

“I didn't want to take things too far--” Jared scoffed. “That's why I flipped when you told me that was your first time. That's not what I ever wanted for you.” The remorse in Jensen's voice ached like a fresh bruise.

Trying to ignore it, Jared stretched the tension in his neck. “Not what you-- Yeah, well, my first kiss was apparently a lie, also, so why shouldn't everything after it be bullshit, too?”

Even though he'd never tell the other boy, he couldn't ever lament both milestones belonged to Jensen. Regardless of the reality, his dumb heart still felt the same.

“Your first kiss?” Jensen shrank against the lockers. “... I'm sorry, Jared. I'm so, so sorry. I've taken so much from you. I would give anything to re-do it all under the right pretenses. I was selfish then, and I'm gonna be selfish one more time and say as much as I regret how I went about things, I wouldn't trade that time with you. Any of it. Jay-- Jared,” he corrected himself with a distressed pinch of his full mouth. “No matter what you think, you're the kindest, humblest, sweetest person I know, and you deserved better.”

Needles inched up Jared's throat, fraying his words. “Is that why I was nominated for your little charity project? Because I'm just so great? The new clothes and the haircut--” He dragged his fingers through his shorn hair and gestured at the rest of himself since he had listened to Jensen and thrown out his old clothes. “--was that just fixing me?”

“They were shallow, idiotic reasons. I didn't choose you to be involved in this--”

The bark of laughter that left him was a sad and mangled sound. “Oh, so you were assigned me against your will?” He rubbed at the itching, twitching corner of his eye. “This just keeps getting better and better.”

“It did get better and better.” Jensen tore himself from his huddle against the lockers, and Jared shied from their ever-decreasing distance. Jensen slid onto the bench, leaning forward. Thick lashes framed bloodshot eyes. “Jared, you're smart and funny and you're the only person who hasn't tried to get something out of me. You actually cared about me, just for being me. You opened the door for me; you listened to what I had to say and not just long enough until you could get your dick wet; and don't even get me started on your dick, because it's awesome; you made me laugh, because you're a complete dork; and-- and I kept the flowers you gave me in my room for weeks, even after they got all brown and shriveled up--”

The needles had grown into serrated blades sawing away at his esophagus and his resolve. “... what are you trying to say?”

Jensen scooted closer, his proximity making Jared's hackles rise. He stared at the floor instead of looking into the full brunt of Jensen's face. “What I'm saying is, even though it started out wrong... it became real to me... **you're** real to me. That's why I wanted to avoid prom; I didn't want to go through with what they wanted. I like you...” He sucked in a breath. “Fuck, in spite of me, I think I like you way more than I ever thought I could.”

Jared's vision of the dirty tile blurred. After days of hurting, it was everything he so fiercely wanted to hear.

Stone-faced, he asked through numb lips. “... why are you doing this?”

Jensen drew back and blinked his pretty doe eyes. “What?”

The wet gleam to Jared's gaze spilled over when he made himself look at the other boy. “Why are you saying these things? What's in it for you now?”

Jensen watched, a confused look on his face, as Jared stood up and towered over him. “What? Nothing. I'm being honest with you.”

Jared's disbelieving laugh sprinkled down on him like broken glass. He scooped up his bag, wiping the tears from his face in rough swipes. “You know if Cheer doesn't work out, you should consider going into acting. I'm sure the Drama Club would love to have you next year.”

Jared felt like the stitches holding him together were ripping the farther he walked away from Jensen. Each time Jensen called for him to come back -to talk to him, to please, please believe him- it splashed at his heart like acid, eating away at the organ and its dissolving meat so it could fall in sick plops to his stomach.

He couldn't get out of there fast enough. He stepped out of the door and nearly plowed into Chad.

“Chad!” He sniffed thickly and surreptitiously wiped off the remaining droplets on his cheek. “Have you been there long?”

His friend jumped, already shaking his head and averting his eyes. “Nah, man. I, uh, got about halfway to the cafeteria and I, um, forgot to ask what you wanted to drink.”

“Oh, um...” Still feeling that urgency to leave, he started steering his friend away from the locker rooms. “Come to think of it, I don't really have much of a taste for anything, but I'll wait if you want to grab something... Chad?”

His friend's attention snapped back to him. “I'm, uh, good, too. Whatever you wanna do.”

As both friends ignored the wet spikes of Jared's lashes, Chad kept shooting thoughtful glances back behind them, frown lines riddling his face.

000

The only bright spot -well bright felt too sunny of a word- was Jared's grades were no longer suffering. If anything he flung himself off a cliff and dove into his studies. Fubini's Theorem and how it establishes a connection between a multiple integral and a repeated one was a way more productive way to occupy his mind. At least Mr. Richings' disappointed, vulture-like stares moved on to someone else. That was something, right?

Keeping his head buried in a book helped him to ignore the ongoing, unwanted attention from his classmates. The comments were constant and unrelenting but unoriginal in their lack of variety. He didn't receive any more donations, thanks to Chad; although when they did cash in their coins, they only amounted to $16.43. It wasn't enough for a fancy dinner, but they were rich men at the 7/11. The pile of candy he bought sat mostly untouched on his desk in his room.

Gym classes were for sure his lowest points, because there was nothing to occupy him. Chad tried his damnedest, but Beaver didn't care about dividing teams by friendships. He was usually on his own, keeping his head down, and trying his best to fade into the background. Before Jensen, it used to be so easy.

Ever since he left Jensen in the locker room that day, the other boy kept his distance, and Jared didn't know if that was better or worse. Where Jensen kept his distance, Katie Cassidy relished in his suffering. She'd drift by, making snide remarks in passing, thanking Jared for helping her clinch captain and telling him Jensen already had a prom date -how it was probably for the best he found out when he did so Jenny's big night wouldn't be ruined- all the while DJ followed closely on her heels. Flinching under the news about Jensen already having moved on -of course he would, why wouldn't he- Jared would stare after DJ.

Half of him was angry at the scrawny guy. _You're being played. Haven't you figured it out yet? She's using you. She doesn't really care about you, you blind idiot._ And the other half of him was filled with seething envy, because DJ was still under the delusion Katie cared about him. He was happy. He wasn't alone. He had no idea it was all a lie.

Ignorance was truly bliss.

Watching DJ, it was impossible to mask his contempt. Someone had to tell him. He needed to know, but DJ had taken to popularity much better than Jared had -poisoned by it would be more apt- and he probably wouldn't listen to Jared. Jared would just be a bitter nobody who was only lashing out.

000

Days later that all changed.

“Dude, did you hear?”

Jared glanced up from his English notes at Chad as he slammed his tray down. It was raining outside, so they were stuck eating in the lunchroom. Well, Chad was eating, Jared was keeping his back to the room. He raised his brows in question, waiting. When Chad didn't go on, he sighed, “No, Chad, what?”

“DJ Qualls dumped Katie Cassidy.”

His pencil went slack. “What?” That sounded farfetched. Anyone with eyes could see DJ was totally gone for the sadistic cheerleader.

“Yeah, I just heard while I was in line. It was a huge scene according to everyone there, which apparently was a lot of people.”

“When? What happened?” Jared wasn't normally one for gossip, but he had a special interest in this and, to be honest, anything that made him old news was welcome.

Chad tore into his food, parts of his story muffled by chewing and swallowing. “This morning I guess. Right in the middle of the courtyard, like literally right in front of everyone. He made this big speech about how he was bored with her and he needed someone who had an opinion on what was better: PC or console or some shit, and he thought it was best to end things now before prom so they wouldn't be wasting each other's time anymore. Then, get this, he finished it off with not one but two K.O. blows: 'It's not you, it's me' and 'Hope we can still be friends.' Boom! Fuckin' savage.” Chad seemed to take personal pleasure in the girl's very public humiliation.

In his shock, Jared turned around and looked towards a table he had gotten well acquainted with only to find Katie was noticeably absent. His eyes flitted over Jensen, and he snapped back to face Chad. “That's crazy,” he mumbled. He wondered what changed.

000

“I told him.”

Jared paused from depositing his books into his locker, glaring hard into the narrow space, before forcing himself to carry on. “... do you feel better now? Is your conscience clear?”

God, there were so many other things he wanted to ask instead like why was he torturing Jared like this or why did he'd said those things to Jared in the locker room and who was the guy he was going to prom with. How much better was he than Jared?

Jensen recoiled at his cold tone. “I didn't do it for my conscience. It was the right thing to do. He needed to know... although I didn't think he'd be quite so dramatic about it. But I don't care if it gets me disqualified or whatever. It's a stupid way to decide captain anyway.”

Jared's mouth pursed, bitter. “Kind of late for you to get the memo.”

“Yeah, well...” Jensen slumped against the locker next to him, staring through the people passing by. “About what I said before? I really meant--”

Jared slammed his locker shut, cutting him off, and mused aloud, “I wonder if it would still be so important for DJ to know if you hadn't been caught, and you and I were still fake dating. Would I have gotten that same courtesy?” He chewed on the edge of his chapped lip. “... some could say you were just leveling the playing field between you and Katie.” He detached his gaze from his paint-chipped locker and onto the other boy. “Can't have a winner if no one crosses the finish line, right?”

His words struck Jensen with a jolt. Real Oscar-worthy stuff. “Jay, no--” Jared's jaw clenched. “I didn't do it for-- I just want to make things right. You're a genuinely good person and... I wanna be that. For you. That's why I did it, I wanted to show you that.”

_DJ's not the one you hurt._

“Jay, will you please believe me?”

“Jeez Jenny, your community service is up. Have mercy on the boy!” Laughter accompanied the jeer from an unknown source.

Jared's flinch was almost imperceptible. He studied Jensen and his beautifully constructed, silently begging face. His chest twinged. “... I already did, once.”

000

Phone in hand, that night Jared sat down on his bed with a purpose. His thumb hesitated over the option to delete the unread messages for the longest time. It was what he intended to do. Maybe if he was able to delete those, he'd be able to let go of the many photos he'd taken on his phone of Jensen and the two of them.

Some day. Maybe.

After dithering for several minutes, temptation got the better of him and he clicked Cancel, scrolling up to the top.

_I'm sorry please pick up_

_where are you? I can't find you_

_are you home?_

_Just answer tell me to fuck off idc_

_please talk to me. Tell me you're ok please Jay_

Those first chaotic texts thrust him back to that night. The voice mails that went with them were much worse. Hearing the panic in Jensen's voice, reiterating the same pleas as those in his texts had Jared immediately putting his phone to sleep and laying it face down. Breathing deep with his heart pounding. Confusion battled the residual anguish and humiliation. If Jensen didn't care about him, why had he called and texted so many times? He'd tried looking for Jared? No, that wasn't right. He waded through his muddy recollection. He had walked away and Jensen had let him go.

He clung to that hurt as he picked his phone back up and read through the remaining messages, greedy eyes catching snippets of _you weren't at school today-I'm sorry-when are you coming back-we need to talk-please let me explain._

With each beseeching text, Jared's lips snarled around the grit of his teeth. His phone creaked with how tightly he was holding it. The words began to run together.

_I miss you._

He snapped and whipped his phone across the room, dissatisfied with the muted thud of it landing on the carpet.

Did Jensen hate him that much to torture him like this? What, did he get double points if he reeled Jared back in?

Worst of all, what ignited Jared's anger so acutely was how badly he wanted to believe him.

Dumb, stupid, idiotic, moronic heart.

000

Jared's turmoil carried through into the next day. He hardly paid any attention in his classes, reading and re-reading the texts from Jensen. He thought maybe he'd develop a callus if he looked at them enough; no luck as of yet. His anxiety built the closer the time came for gym class, and he did something he'd never done before in his academic career: he skipped it. Screw Chad, he was hiding.

Literally. In the boy's bathroom on the second floor in the very last stall, he hid.

He considered splurging on the handicap stall for the space, but he knew on the off chance someone who actually needed it came to use the stall, he'd feel guilty, so he crammed himself in the cramped space and remained there for the next hour. In that time, he finished that day's assignments, gave ASMR a try on his ear buds (but all it accomplished was discomfort), and practiced self-flagellation in the form of sifting through old photos on his phone. They consisted mostly of Jensen, because that's all Jared really cared to take (mostly candid shots of him laughing or making goofy faces) but a few contained them both.

Those few rarely had the both of them facing the camera at the same time: One had Jensen smiling like a catalog model while Jared hid his face.

The next was the same smile paired with Jared's slight grimace because Jensen was pinning his hands down out of frame.

And the last was of Jared's open-mouthed laugh because Jensen had wiggled his fingers into Jared's side to get him to smile. That one he lost track of time over, because while Jared was suffering under his tickling assault, Jensen was looking at him. His pink mouth curved in the softest of grins and the laugh lines Jensen detested framing his candy apple green eyes were out in full effect.

That one made his chest ache and put him at war with himself. He wanted to believe it couldn't have all been fake. Jensen had said it wasn't. He had said--

_No. No. No. That's just what he wants you to think. You're a fucking loser. A nobody. What could he ever want with you? You were a Make-A-Wish kid._

Aside from that, Jensen was already with someone new; that's what Katie said, and -as much as she disliked Jared- she was more honest with him than anyone else. God, even the other cheerleaders, like Sophia and Genevieve, looked right through him like they'd never met. So if she claimed Jensen had moved on, Jared believed her.

Jensen was just being cruel. Jared had to remain steadfast in that or otherwise the jealousy that helped his misery grow sharp fangs would truly devour him whole.

000

At the end of the day, he was prepared to get through his last class and go home and live in his room for the next two and a half days. It was the weekend; he could spend it like a hermit if he wanted. That was the plan, except the intercom came on and a positively chipper voice ordered everyone to the gym for the mandatory pep rally.

_Oh. Of-fucking-course._

Prom was tomorrow night. Apparently he'd been successful at purposefully blocking it out and forgetting about it.

Along with everyone else, he trudged to the gymnasium. He didn't know where Chad was and when he did finally spot him, he was across the room sardined way up high. Jared wound up somewhere in the middle with his knees tucked under his chin, trying to make himself as small as possible, and waiting despondently for this to start so it could end.

Jared used to enjoy these things. Well technically he could do without the class chants for each year and applauding the jocks who played Spring sports, Coach Beaver smiling proudly amongst them. The marching band blaring in a room with shitty acoustics reverberated through his brain. The only part he did care for -what he used to look most forward to- was--

“Now let's give a hand for our Mavericks Cheer Squad and thank them for spreading school spirit all year round!”

As the rest of the school cheered for the cheerleaders, Jared remained motionless, his eyes going automatically to the one person who used to make these things worthwhile but now made it an absolute torture. In his pristine uniform, Jensen jumped around with the rest of his squad, clapping and hyping up the crowd.

Jared just wanted to die.

After, they launched into the routine Jared had first witnessed in its infancy. He watched blankly the refined movements and polished stunts, seeing only the day the boy in the middle had marched up to him with such purpose and kissed him into a stupor. That was an awesome day. It felt significant, like a turning point, but that wasn't real either.

“God, that's a hot piece of ass,” he heard behind him.

“Which one? They're all fucking— _mmm_.” Jared shifted in his pretzel hold uncomfortably at the second voice's groan.

“Ackles, man. Look at him do the splits, now imagine him on his back with those legs up in the air. All that space to just... **pound**.”

Jared stiffened at Jensen's name and tensed further at the other's answering chuckle.

“Hey, I'm all about the pussy, but you're right. He is just as pretty as a girl. I bet his ass is so tight—”

Jared's teeth clenched, watching the topic of their discussion roll out of his splits and move to get into position to lift Danneel. Just in time, the squad landed in their final formation and shouted in a united, hearty shout, “Go Mavericks!”

The applause thankfully put a hold on the talk going on behind him. He glanced over his shoulder out of curiosity and looked forward quickly. Fucking Amell and Weatherly. This pep rally had suddenly gotten ten times longer.

The principal was still showing his appreciation as he approached the microphone. “Stellar performance, ladies and gentlemen. Be sure to hurry back! For now--” He clapped once, peering around the room with a put-upon serious expression. “Let's get down to business, shall we? Let's go over the schedule for finals...”

People around Jared groaned and pulled out their phones. He struggled to listen -although it wasn't information he didn't already know and he was fairly confident for finals this year- but Amell and Weatherly carried on behind him. They went on and on about the things they'd like to do to Jensen and how he was totally fair game now so maybe they could have a little fun at his dad's cabin on the lake where everyone was going for post-prom weekend. Jared listened to every word with a mounting queasiness.

“ _You think I don't know what everyone at school thinks of me? I'm just a piece of ass with blowjob lips only good for jumping around and waving pom poms. But if I'm captain then-- then I'm someone to be respected. I'm more than some slut.”_

Jensen's words from that night made a whole new kind of sense. He'd been too wrapped up in his own overwhelming emotions at the time to understand them, but he understood now and he felt like he was gonna be sick. These fucks behind him didn't give a shit about Jensen; they just saw a goal, a warm place to stick their pricks. They objectified him.

“ _You got what you wanted though, didn't you? You got to fuck Jensen Ackles. All your work is done. You don't have to pretend you only liked me for my sparkling personality.”_

They objectified him... Just like Jensen assumed Jared had.

The principal clapped closer to the mic, jarring many of the students absorbed in their phones back to the present. “Now that we've got the boring part out of the way, let's go on to the grand finale of our little assembly: Announcing Prom Court!”

The bleachers rattled with the stomping of feet and howls while others merely rolled their eyes at the archaic practice. One of the teachers handed the principal a note card. He cleared his throat. “Let's meet our Princes and Princesses... First we have Miss Kristen Kreuk escorted by Tom Welling...” Semi-formally dressed couples began to emerge from the gym's side door to varying degrees of applause. Mike Rosenbaum and Nicky Aycox, Justin Hartley and Adrianne Palicki, and finally-- “Miss Danneel Harris escorted by Jensen Ackles.”

The only junior in a group of seniors. The junior class went wild. Jared observed Jensen in his dark button down and pants walk arm in arm with Danneel, smiling and waving, gorgeous and on top of the world.

“Picture a threesome with those two,” Weatherly commented. Jared hunched further forward, growing irate. He tried to listen to the principal's speech about the long-standing tradition of prom and the magical night the juniors and seniors were going to embark on tomorrow night. Pangs of sadness filled Jared as he imagined Jensen tomorrow, dressed to the nines like some fairytale prince, dancing with some faceless guy, gazing up at him adoringly and overjoyed at the fact his toes weren't getting stepped on like they inevitably would have with Jared.

“You can keep Danni, she's too cold for me. But Jenny on the other hand...” Amell's smug drawl slithered down his spine like a centipede, it's hundred tiny legs plucking at his patience. He had to flex the cramping muscles of his back to ease some of the tension. “Tomorrow could be the nigh-- oh, no shit.” Amell paused and his buzzed head poked between Jared and the person next to him, that other person grimacing and scooting away. “Jar-Pad? Holy shit, man, didn't see you there.”

“What's it like to be a loser again?” Weatherly chortled at his back.

“Mike,” Amell chided, throwing a friendly arm over Jared's shoulders. Jared's muscles locked up to the point of pain. “We've got a man here with inside knowledge. Tell me, bro, after weeks of being led around like a puppy, did you at least get to screw Ackles? … Blowjob maybe? I heard that mouth is... legendary.”

Jared kept his eyes forward, vibrating in his seat. His fists pulsed in his lap.

Weatherly piped in from his other side. “But that peach of an ass though. I bet he rides dick like a pro--”

All sense left Jared.

The tension snapped like a rubber band. He whirled around, shoving Amell away from him and punching Weatherly right in the face. Pain exploded up his arm, and he couldn't tell if the crunching of bones he felt was the jock's nose or his own fist, because that was the first punch Jared had ever thrown in his life. As Weatherly fell backwards off the bench into a cluster of screaming freshmen, Amell bowled him over. Too enraged to feel the hits raining down onto him, Jared fought back with wild abandon, and that section of the bleachers devolved into chaos.

000

Jensen had no idea what the fuck happened. One second he was giving his facial muscles a rest from the porcelain smiles he'd been sporting all afternoon and was listening to the principal drone on about how it was an honor to be chosen for Prom Court, and the next thing he knew, there was shouting and a tidal wave of students came rushing down the bleachers to avoid the violent cyclone of swinging fists and kicking legs at its center. It took the teachers a moment to react -just as bemused as their younger charges- before springing into action, half evacuating the gym and the other half pushing through the current of bodies to stop the fight. All the while Coach Beaver trilled on his whistle like the ineffective, senile old coot he was, adding an extra layer of drama and panic to the atmosphere.

It was just a dumb fight. Wasn't the first, wouldn't be the last.

He looked around as everyone in Prom Court was urged to leave, hoping Jared was far from that mess. The last thing he heard as he cleared the doors was the principal in a harried voice, “Er, y'all head on home. Happy Prom weekend. _Damn it all_ \-- stay safe. Go Mavericks!”

000

“You look so handsome, sweetie!” his mom cooed over his dad's shoulders as he took what had to be a million pictures. “Smile, JR!”

Jensen's mouth lifted into a smile, but it felt weak as he posed and turned his head this way and that per her instructions. He checked his watch and broke out of his model stance.

“Ma, I gotta go. The limo is supposed to be here any minute.”

He'd opted out of meeting at Sophia's house for the awkward group photo shoot with a never-ending rotation of camera phones and simpering parents, all the while crammed on some stairwell hugging a bannister or -God forbid- on the front lawn. As the odd man out, he'd rather they just pick him up along the way.

“Already?” His mother frowned. “But we haven't gotten pictures with you and your date. Is he running late?”

He cringed at that, moving to the nearest mirror to check on his hair. “Uh...no. I'm going stag tonight, so there's...” Nothing was wrong with his hair. It was perfect. He looked stunning in his fitted blue suit with a subtle sheen. “... there's no one coming.”

As his mother made a pitying sound, his dad spoke up. “What ever happened to that one boy I met?” Jensen watched through the reflection in the mirror as his dad frowned down at the ground, thinking. “J- something... Jer--... Jared.” He remembered with the snap of his fingers. “What about Jared? He seemed like a nice kid.”

“The sweet one that brought those lovely flowers?” his mom interjected with excitement. Dad must have filled her in. “I must say, JR, you have to enjoy it while you still can when a boy thinks to bring you flowers.” She playfully smacked her husband's chest at his affronted expression.

“I got you this house with a whole garden full of flowers!”

“Of course, dear, that's right.” She turned away, rolling her eyes and sticking out her tongue for Jensen to see.

Jensen stifled his smile, a dull ache drilling into his chest. He hoped their little squabble got them off the subject of Jared.

“So?” His mother came up behind him. “Did something happen to Jared? According to your father, I would like him. Apparently, he's the politest, most terrified puppy that's ever shown up at our door.”

The drilling in his chest popped through the breastbone, and he avoided her too knowing gaze. “... it just didn't work out. I was an idiot, and I screwed it all up. Jared hates me now.”

“Are you joking? That boy was so enamored with you, he couldn't take his eyes off you,” his dad painfully pointed out.

Gentle hands turned him around, and his mother went about fixing his dark tie. “JR, I don't believe I've ever known you to like someone, let alone lament them. This Jared must be very special.” His eyes stung as he held still, watching her smooth down his lapels. “If he makes you happy, maybe don't give up on him just yet.”

Jensen opened his mouth to argue. They didn't get it. He was a selfish jerk.

A horn blared outside, and his phone chirped with a flood of texts announcing his friends' arrival. His mom kissed him on the cheek, and his dad held out his hand to shake.

“Have good, clean, responsible fun and... what your mother said,” he grumbled out of the side of his mouth. Jensen nodded along like there was hope to the situation and he was earnestly absorbing their advice.

They just wouldn't understand. He was more or less resigned now.

It was too late.

000

A couple hours later, Jensen was bored to tears. The limo ride was an ongoing refrain of “To the best night of our lives,” even though half the people in the stretch were juniors; there would be another prom; there would be another “best night of our lives.” Flasks and cocktails disguised in plastic bottles were passed around with Jensen touching them only as long as it took to pass them along. After the shit he spewed at Jared at that party, it'd be awhile before he had alcohol again.

The student council had really gone all out on the electric bill, transforming the gymnasium into a glittering wonderland replete with sheets of fairy lights adorning the walls and hanging from the constructed arches in sparkling tendrils. Jensen had to admit it was all rather picturesque... he wasn't too sure about the blaring of Top 40 alleged hits though.

The girls fawned over each other's dresses and hair, although Felicia Day from his homeroom loudly proclaimed to anyone who so much as looked at her banana-yellow dress that it had pockets and went on to demonstrate. That made him genuinely smile.

He felt as though he'd been dragged into a million hugs and posed for just as many selfies. He was tired and wondering how he had looked forward to this so much two months ago, dreaded it a month ago, and still wound up here in the end. With a cup of lukewarm spiked punch he'd taken one sip of and held now for decoration, he absently watched the dance floor and listened with half an ear to the conversation he was -proximity wise- a part of.

“Oh wow, that's sad. I can't believe she still came.”

“Really? I think it's kind of brave.”

Curious, he followed Sophia and Genevieve's stares to Katie Cassidy strutting into the gym in the lowest cut, coral number with her head held high. Ever since DJ had publicly dumped her, her social status had taken a major hit and most of the squad treated her like a leper. No one aside from DJ and Jared knew Jensen was the whistle blower, but he still felt marginally guilty for the blonde's epic fall.

Only marginally.

He leaned in towards the girls to be heard. “Wasn't Weatherly her go-to date for this?”

“Oh shit, you haven't heard?” Rosey came to a stop at Sophia's other side and handed her a drink. Tom Hardy never did ask her to be his date, but Sophia had bounced back easily when the jester of the Prom Court invited her. After all, the jester still had a shot at becoming king, and Rosey cleaned up shockingly well in his black tux.

“Hear what?” All three of his friends shot him varying looks of discomfort. “What?”

Genevieve was the first to start. “Mike and Stephen got barred from prom and suspended from school until finals.”

Before he could ask, Sophia continued, rolling her satin clutch nervously in her hands. “That fight at the pep rally yesterday. Even if they didn't start it, zero tolerance policy.”

Jensen set aside his drink and squinted in confusion at the lemon-sour pinch to their mouths. “Who the hell would be dumb enough to start a fight with those two meatheads?”

“Your boy, Jared, that's who,” Rosey squeezed out before taking several gulps of punch. The two girls bobbed their up-dos in confirmation.

Jensen had to take a mental step back. “... what?”

“Yeah.” Sophia glanced among the three of them. “This freshman, Alex something was sitting right by them when it happened. I guess Stephen and Mike were making some... pretty gross comments about you and Jared just... exploded.”

Jensen shook his head. The information just wasn't computing. “Jared? My Jared? Jared Padalecki--- started a physical altercation?”

“Heard he got his ass kicked.” Rosey shrugged, swirling the punch in his cup. “But still ballsy as hell. Shame you guys pulled that fucked up shit. Jared is actually a pretty cool guy.”

Jensen was having real trouble wrapping his head around all this. Jared -who wouldn't hurt a fly- got into a fight... over him?

The music abruptly cut out, and Ms. Rhodes adjusted the microphone on stage with a whistle and crackle. “Good evening Juniors and Seniors. How's your night going so far?”

Cheers went up around the room, and the group of guys hovering around the punch bowl released a guttural roar.

“W-wonderful to hear...” Her smile flickered in and out with the unsettled glances she kept shooting at the boys. “We've counted all the votes, and the time has come to name your Prom King and Queen.” The room rippled with anticipation.

Jensen felt a touch on his elbow, and he turned to see Sophia's smoky eyes probing him. “You really like him, don't you?”

He opened and closed his mouth but nodded. Sympathy clouded the surprise on her face.

“Alright and your Prom King is... Jensen Ackles!”

Applause erupted throughout the room, but Jensen didn't really hear any of it. His friends screamed and jostled him. A slew of happy faces filled his vision and somehow his legs carried him to the front of the room and onto the stage where Ms. Rhodes placed a plastic, golden crown on his head. The spotlight fixed on him was blinding and through the tumult of his thoughts of Jared -Jared fought for him, Jared cared in some way, Sophia knew how Jensen felt and it wasn't the end of the world- Ms. Rhodes proclaimed Danneel Harris as their reigning queen.

Unlike Jensen, Danneel, smiling resplendently in her pure white gown, wasted no time getting to the stage and receiving her tiara with a curtsy. The bubbly act she put on rubbed Jensen oddly, for the first time, as she waved and covered her mouth, seemingly overcome with emotion.

“Congratulations to you both. Now let's clear the dance floor for the traditional King and Queen Dance.”

Jensen moved with puppet mindlessness to take Danneel's hand and lead her to the middle of the vacated floor. Some syrupy sweet slow song began to play. Danneel, still mouthing “Oh my God” to everyone watching, draped her arms over his shoulders, and out of reflex he placed his hands gingerly on her hips. Together they began to sway.

Still processing and for lack of anything to say, he congratulated her. Blushing smile still in place, she rolled her eyes. “Please, as if there was any doubt. Me winning was a no-brainer. If anything... I should be telling you congrats. I've decided you're squad captain next year.”

That fully yanked him into the present. “What—how? I didn't--”

“Jenny, please. Despite you not exactly crossing the finish line, you actually made your adopted puppy pretty fuckable. Hell, for a moment even I wanted to...” She trailed off, giggling.

A tendon jumped in Jensen's jaw. “What about Katie?”

Her dark eyes pierced his. “You're joking, right? She got dumped by her loser. She's done. There's no living that down, and besides...” She flicked her fiery hair away from her face and took a moment to brush invisible lint off his shoulder. “Katie never had a chance to begin with. I was always going to choose you for the job. You're smart, dedicated (obviously), you won Prom King as a Junior so you're well liked, and I know you won't fuck it up. You sort of remind me of me. You couldn't help that you were -for lack of a better term- outed. You're creative; you'll come up with another way to choose your successor next year. Now twirl me so everyone can ' _Oo_ ' and ' _Ah_.'”

With rigid, mechanical arms, he twirled her.

He won... he won Prom King and the title of Captain. He won. He'd gotten everything he wanted this year and he felt...

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

When Danneel faced him again and saw his stoic expression, a flash of puzzlement broke through the mask. “No 'thank you'? No celebration?” Her voiced carried the plucking notes of irritation. “You're not seriously still moping over that nobody, are you? Jenny, be proud of what you accomplished. My charity case last year, Steve Carlson, turned out great. He moved away, but I hear he's working the whole moody musician angle and he's drowning in girls. No lasting damage whatsoever.”

_That you know of._

“If you wanted to pick me from the beginning, then why have us do the charity thing at all?”

_Why make me put Jared through that?_

Her bare shoulders, painted a dreamy blue from the spotlights, rose and fell in a careless shrug. “It's my last year and it's tradition... I wanted to end it with a little entertainment.”

_A little entertai--_

It hadn't been just the last couple weeks he'd been living in a maudlin fog, unaware and indifferent due to Jared's absence, he'd been going through the motions for years, doing the obvious and what was expected. He became startlingly cognizant of where he was at that exact moment: The lights beating on him, raising the temperature in his suit; the sea of eyes always there, always watching; his hands sweaty against the silk of Danneel's gown, holding the wrong hips.

The wrong person.

The conclusion was there and glaringly clear.

His hands fell, and he took a step back.

“Jenny, just what the hell do you think you're doing” Danneel forced out past her grin, eyes darting around them. They landed on Jensen, but this time they lacked their paralyzing hold.

“1) My name's not Jenny, it's Jensen. 2) That 'nobody' you referred to? His name is Jared and he's a thousand times better of a person than you could ever hope to be, and 3)--” A mystified smile split the snare of his teeth. “I think I'd rather go find out what the fuck a Chewbacca is than be here a second longer with you.”

Gasps dotted the thick ring of students surrounding the dance floor as Jensen walked away, leaving Danneel standing there alone.

“Jenny?” she called after him, her voice rattling through her smile. When he ignored her, she barked, “Jensen, you come back here right now!”

Jensen broke through the crowd, and he could really breathe for the first time in what seemed like forever.

He was going to do something he should have done awhile ago.

000

“Dude, stop poking at it.” Chad's foot knocked into his, putting a stop to his compulsive prodding at the gash splitting his eyebrow. Whatever. Chad couldn't stop him from tonguing at the stinging, coppery taste of his busted lip. “You know, even though you got your ass handed to you, you look like a total bad ass right now.”

Jared grinned, his bruised cheek twinging. “You think so?”

“You're no Chuck Norris or Bruce Lee, but at least a solid Segal.”

Laughing, Jared kicked his friend back. “Dick.”

“Fine, fine, Roadhouse Swayze?” he offered.

“Roadhouse Swayze,” Jared confirmed, appeased.

His parents had been less than pleased to be called to the school yesterday. They didn't believe it at first. Their Jared, fighting? Amell and Weatherly were quick to throw him under the bus, but regardless of who started it, it took place on school property and the administration followed a zero tolerance policy, so the three of them were given the same sentence: one week suspension until finals and no prom. That compiled with his parents' scolding words and his split knuckles? Totally worth it to walk away with Amell's swollen shut eyes struggling to glare at him and Weatherly's broken nose sitting in the middle of his face like a heritage tomato.

The car ride home had been a tense one. As soon as they reached the privacy of their home, his parents went nuclear on him. What was going on with him lately? He'd been acting so unlike himself. First locking himself in his room for days and now punching people? _“Jared, are you on drugs?”_

Once Jared calmly explained why he had attacked the two jocks, without divulging too much of what was said, his parents still weren't happy with this going on his school record, but they were slightly mollified by his motivations. He was still grounded for the next month -no TV, no computer, no video games, hello Spring Cleaning Happy Helper- but they still allowed Chad over for their original plan of pizza and the hanging out they never got around to. His parents already had dinner plans and a Jason Aldean concert they'd been looking forward to for months and they weren't about to cancel, because their son suddenly decided to be a delinquent. They had planned on Jared attending the prom and conned Meg into going to a birthday sleepover she wasn't too excited about. Jared's only restrictions for the night were no sneaking into the liquor cabinet -”Looking at you, Chad”- and no leaving the house. Those were rules Jared could easily comply with.

The doorbell rang, and Chad snuggled down further into the couch cushions. “Must be the pizza,” he mumbled around a handful of popcorn

Jared shot him a look before blowing out a sigh and braced himself to stand. “I've got it. It's not like I'm injured or anything.”

“Your house, bro,” Chad quipped, eyes glued to the TV.

Jared rolled his eyes. He hobbled around the couch and to the front door, his ribs aching, because as much as the jocks played the victim role, they had no issues kicking him a few times while he was down. The doorbell rang again. “I'm coming, I'm coming,” he grumbled reaching for his wallet and the doorknob simultaneously. He opened the door, leafing through for the right bills. “$23.67, right?”

“Hey...”

He paused, snapping his head up with an owlish blink. Opposite to his wrinkled pajamas, Jensen was standing on his doorstep, looking exquisite in a navy suit with a bejeweled costume crown fixed crookedly on his head.

Mouth numb, the words tumbled clumsily out. “Nice crown.”

Jensen's hand flew up and felt the headpiece there. The tips of his ears went pink. “I forgot I had this stupid thing on.”

“It suits you.”

“Thanks...” Jensen's smile gave way to worrying his lip. “That looks like it hurts. Are you okay?”

Jared shrugged. “Looks worse than it is.”

Shit, did Jensen know what happened?

“I'm sorry for just showing up like this... I needed to see you. I brought a couple things to make up for it.” He looked down, and that's when Jared noticed the full-to-bursting plastic bag in his hand. The first thing Jensen grabbed from the bag was a cellophane-wrapped single red rose. He held it out for Jared, cautiously, to take. “They're not peonies, but it's the best I could do last minute. But I did find a shit ton of...” He rifled around and produced several bags of sour rainbow belts. “Your favorite, and...” At the bottom of the bag he fished out a small collection of very familiar movie cases. “These were all I could find. I guess there's a lot of them?”

Jared shuttered the mix of mounting confusion and wonder building inside of him. He didn't know what was happening here, but he could feel his heart thawing and he couldn't trust that. He moved to close the door. “I already own them all, good night.”

“Wait!” The other boy tripped forward in his panic. “Please wait.”

Jared hung his head tiredly but did as was asked. “What are you doing here, Jensen? Shouldn't you be celebrating your big win and dancing the night away with a guy you actually like?”

Jensen seemed to relax with the knowledge that Jared was willing to hear him out, at least for a minute. The squared, blue width of his shoulders pulled into a shrug. An exaggerated frown stretched the natural pout of his lips. “Yeah, I probably should be... there's just one problem with that, he wasn't there.”

Jared felt a pang in his chest. “Got stuck in traffic?”

“No, actually.” Jensen shook his head sadly. “He got suspended for fighting, if you can believe it. Took on these two dumb jocks. So, I figured I'd hijack a limo and come to him instead.”

Pulse quickening, Jared peered past Jensen and his eyebrows flew up. Idling along the curb was a white, stretch limo. “The driver had nothing to do and thirty bucks later, he was willing to run a couple errands with me, but he'll be back to pick everyone up at eleven. Hopefully, if things go right, I won't be riding back with him.”

“Why—why would you do that?”

The levity to Jensen's demeanor went serious, and his frown this time was authentic. Green eyes searched the ground like he was still trying to piece it together himself. “... I was at prom, bored and hating it. Danneel and I had just won King and Queen and we had to do that corny dance, y'know, and we were talking and she tells me that I did it. I'm captain next year. I got everything I wanted and... I just didn't care. I realized... there was somewhere else I wanted to be instead.”

Jared swiped a nervous tongue over his lips, grounding himself in the sting. His heart was pounding in his chest. He didn't want to dare hope. “... so why are you here?”

The other boy held up his bag of goodies, a worried smile on his face. “My boyfriend promised me he was going to educate me on the brilliance that is Star Wars. Do you think he'll have me?”

Fighting to appear nonchalant, Jared questioned in a quaking voice. “Boyfriend?”

“Oh, for fuck's sake!” Chad materialized over his shoulder, scowling. “There's only so much of this rom-com shit I can take. Jare, I'm gonna say this once and only once: Fucking **go** to him.”

“W-what?” Heat rushed under the surface of his skin and prickled the hair follicles of his scalp.

Chad wiggled out of the doorway and pointed a finger at Jensen who froze like a deer in headlights; he had probably assumed he and Jared were alone. “The shit he pulled was fucked up, plain and simple, but he fucked himself over right back, because he likes you just as much as you **still** like him. And don't give me that crap saying you don't. You got your ass whooped because some assholes talked shit about him. Anyone with eyes can see he's been just as miserable as you've been. Just...” Chad huffed, his eyes wide and sincere. “Think about giving him a second chance? For all our sakes, but especially mine?”

Jared and Jensen remained silent in the aftermath of Chad's outburst. Chad still being Chad, edged around them.

“While you two do whatever, I'm gonna check out this limo situation.” He paused at Jensen's side and jammed another finger in his face. “You hurt him again and I swear I will take a pair of tweezers and remove every single one of your freckles, slowly and painfully. Comprendé?”

Stunned by the shorter, skinnier blond's horrific threat, Jensen nodded. Jared fought the smile trying to emerge. Satisfied, Chad continued on his way to the limo. With him gone an awkwardness settled in the air between them, one Jared didn't know how to break. There was a lot to take in, and he felt like they were on the cusp of something. Something he was too afraid to believe in once again only to get hurt.

Jensen cleared his throat, too anxious to maintain the hopeful lift to his mouth. “... can we please start over?”

“... Jensen--”

“What can I do to convince you? I'll-- I'll quit Cheer, if you want.”

Jared shook his head. “But you love Cheer. You can't do that.”

“Yeah, I can.” He bobbed his head in earnest. He wet his lips. His green eyes were soft and focused. “I can, because Jay... I love you more.”

Jared sucked in a surprised breath. His tongue felt just as big as his heart, moving thickly in his mouth. “You do?”

“Yeah,” Jensen heaved in relief. He carefully set down the bag and took a purposeful step closer. His hands opening and closing at his sides, afraid to reach out. “No lies. No bullshit. I'm my happiest when I'm with you, and if you'll let me... I'd like to try to make you happy, too.”

Jutting out his chin and squaring his shoulders, Jared straightened to his full height. Anything to hide the gushy, caramel nougat melting inside him. “No lies, no bullshit?”

Jensen gulped, eying the inches Jared had on him. The gulp didn't seem particularly out of fear though. “Jay, I swear--”

Jared couldn't take it anymore. A dimpled smile blossomed across his face. He reached out and grabbed Jensen with one hand on either side of his face -knocking his crown off- and dragged him close, kissing him with all the pain and joy and love he felt for this beautifully flawed boy. He kissed him until he ran out of air, drawing back only the scantest of inches.

Jensen blinked his eyes open in a daze. His full lips red and shiny. “... I'll take that as a maybe?”

Jared choked out a laugh, throat tight with the happiness swelling through him. “That was a hell no.”

“You little--” Jensen's nose scrunched above his toothy grin, and he attacked Jared's side, tickling him. Jared's giggles were cut short by a hiss, the pain in his ribs flaring. “Oo-oo-sorry-sorry,” Jensen hissed in sympathy. “I'll rip those bastards' lungs out.”

Jared ignored the ache and puffed out his chest. “Hey, I got in a few good hits.”

“I'm sure you did,” Jensen murmured, brushing his chest against Jared's. When he spoke, his lips grazed Jared's, shooting fire down to pool in his gut. “You know... you look pretty hot all bruised and bloodied up.”

“Yeah?” Jared dipped in for a kiss. “Are you saying I should get my ass kicked more often?”

Squinting and pouting his lips in thought, Jensen hummed in deliberation.

“Shut up.” Jared yanked him close and sealed their mouths together. Jensen melted against him with a pleased purr. His tongue flicked past Jared's lips, pulling a moan out of him. Before things could get any more heated, a throat cleared loudly. They broke apart and blinked bleary eyes at the delivery guy hovering uncomfortably on the edge of the stoop.

“Two large meat lovers and a small Hawaiian?”

At that moment, Chad poked his head out from the sunroof of the limo. “Bring the Hawaiian over here, my man!” he yelled over the limo driver politely asking him to exit the vehicle.

“I'm assuming he comes with the package?” Jensen grumbled against the hollow of his cheek.

“Like adopting a horny, foul-mouthed hedgehog,” Jared confirmed with a solemn nod. Jensen groaned and buried his face in Jared's neck. Stifling his laughter, Jared juggled between paying the delivery guy and balancing the pizzas while patting his boyfriend consolingly on the back.

His boyfriend... he couldn't think of anything better.

Maybe he should send Danneel and Katie both gift baskets, each of them lovingly signed, “Nobody.”

Because that was the point of charity, right? Giving back?


	4. Epilogue

(One Year Later)

“Hi, everyone! Come on in!” Jared's mom, Sharon, opened the door wide to allow them inside. “Jensen, you look so handsome.” She leaned in and pecked his cheek. Where Jensen's mom loved Jared, Sharon adored Jensen, but there was no comparison to the mutual love of---

“Sharon!”

“Donna!”

Bother mothers embraced each other with happy squeals, like they hadn't just been to lunch that Wednesday. Over this past year, they had become the best of friends. It wouldn't be a surprise if those two women were already planning the wedding of their two youngest sons.

“Gerald.”

“Alan.”

Both fathers greeted each other with a more sedate handshake.

The biggest surprise when meeting the parents was, after recognizing Jensen from seeing him cheer at the home games, how interested Jared's dad was in the mechanics involved in Cheer. He had asked a barrage of questions, and Jared couldn't be prouder of his dad and boyfriend. Upon first interaction, Gerald had been genuinely shocked that Alan hadn't gotten around to seeing Jensen in action. So, with the added appeal of football, both dads (with Jared squeezed in the middle) had attended the big Homecoming game. Jensen had been on top of the world that night, and not only because he'd scored Homecoming King, much to Jared's constant teasing of royalty slumming it with riff raff such as himself.

The most tense introduction came with Jensen meeting Jeff. Jeff hadn't forgotten the wreck Jared had been, but his little brother had insisted things were different this time and to be nice. After Jeff had nicely delivered the If You Hurt My Brother Again speech, he and Jensen got along almost too well for Jared's liking. His comfort came when Jensen had whispered into his ear, “I definitely picked the right Padalecki brother.” That same evening Jeff had muttered with a red face to him in private, “I see what you mean about going a little gay for him.”

Sharon called up the stairs. “Jared, Jensen and the Ackles are here!” In a quieter tone she murmured, “I have no idea what's taking him so long.”

“I'll hurry him up,” Jensen volunteered, already taking the stairs two at a time.

“Door open, please!” Gerald called after him, and Jensen paused long enough to give him a hasty salute and a, “Yes, sir!”

Grinning, Jensen continued to Jared's room. An open door had never really stopped them before. Although Jared would never admit it, it just so happened he had a bit of an exhibitionist streak. Jensen suspected that it had a lot to do with wanting to show Jensen off as his. Jensen couldn't count how many times he'd been sadistically pleased when Chad had run away crying he needed to sanitize his eyes.

He barely knocked before entering, stopping short at the sight of Jared in a tux. The sharp, black lines hugged the height of him just so. Jared was usually a bit of a puppy, but at that moment he looked like a man.

“Fucking tie,” Jared growled, fussing with the strip of crimson draped around his neck.

Without a word, Jensen slid in and took both ends of the fabric from him. Jared straightened and held still. In a dejected voice, he grumbled, “You look perfect.” His fingers tugged on his sleeves and plucked at his slacks.

“Duh.” Jensen grinned in response, concentrating on his work. A few times he got distracted with the bobbing Adam's apple set in the tantalizing length of his boyfriend's neck. It'd be so easy to lean in and-- _focus_. He rushed to finish up and avoid temptation. “Now you look perfect... as... well. There.” He stepped out of the way so Jared could observe the finished product in the mirror.

It had not been the easiest year. That first week after they got back together, Jared was stuck at home for his suspension. He did little other than worry and over-analyze. He'd chewed the inside of his cheek into hamburger, fretting that it was all another trick. Occasionally when he felt things were too good to be true, he still wondered that. But Jensen was more than dedicated to put in the time and patience to earn Jared's trust. Jensen reminded him at least twenty times a day that he loved him to put those lingering, negative thoughts to rest. It wasn't always easy, but it was worth it.

On Jensen's end that first week, he was busy taking the brunt of Danneel's rage. She had been furious with him for deserting her and essentially “spitting in her face” when she had gifted him with everything he wanted. Jensen couldn't help, even to this day, rolling his eyes at that. Lucky for him, her reign of terror had ended with the pep rally, and she couldn't boot Jensen from the squad as she vocalized she so badly wanted to do. Instead she left without naming any successor, leaving the entire squad in the lurch.

During those last few days of school, the squad held a vote -realizing a democracy was much healthier than a dictatorship- and elected Jensen and Sophia as co-captains. The results were just fine with Jensen. Sophia genuinely loved to cheer, and it would be better to share the burden of responsibility. Jensen had concluded the power had gone to Danneel's head, and everyone agreed things would go a lot smoother this way. Well, not everyone. Katie hadn't been a fan of the regime change. She quit, even when Jensen had tried to get her to stay. There was just too much bad blood.

Together, Jensen and Sophia completely abolished the charity project bullshit and instead urged the squad to take part in actual charitable causes such as food drives and car washes (which Jared found to be his favorite even though he had yet to get a car). Another thing both captains decided on was that there was to be no fraternizing with Stephen Amell or Michael Weatherly. Colin's teary recount of how Stephen had used him and left him high and dry was enough for the squad to agree. After word got out about how they turned victim when they double teamed beating Jared, not even their own teammates had much respect for them.

That summer Jared and Jensen focused on getting to know each other all over again. And sex. There was a lot of sex.

Against Jensen's better judgment, Jared did finally introduce Chad to Sophia. She ended up slapping him after two minutes, and Chad decreed he was never washing that cheek again. The scary thing was, they believed him.

“I look stupid,” Jared said to his reflection wearing an all-black tux with a dark red vest and tie.

Jensen's brows wrinkled as he surveyed himself in his own burgundy suit with a black shirt, the top two buttons undone. “Shut up, you look very dashing.”

“How come you don't have to wear one of these things?” Jared slipped a finger under the asphyxiating squeeze of the tie and tugged to alleviate some of the pressure.

“Because...” Jensen adjusted the silky black pocket square in his jacket. “All of the self-restraint you exercised in this last week wouldn't have been worth it if I didn't show off my entire neck.”

Jared loved to mark him up just as much as Jensen enjoyed showing it off, but his mother had delicately suggested they might consider being bruise-free for such an occasion. Jared had pouted that's what make-up was for, but he had consoled himself with the knowledge the neck wasn't the only part of the body you could plant hickies on.

“Fine, but I'm taking this off as soon as we're done with pictures.”

“Deal.” Jensen was a very agreeable boyfriend.

Jared shifted inside his tux with a frown. He looked between their outfits. “... you don't think this is a bit too... I don't know, matchy?”

“Tastefully matchy,” Jensen amended. His appraising eyes scanned them both top to bottom. “Besides, if we had it your way, we would be in paisley right now.” He shuddered.

“It was a joke!”

“Right, mmhm.” Jensen bobbed his head in mocking agreement.

Jared pulled him in by the waist. “I hate you,” he whispered against his lips before kissing him. Jensen didn't resist, opening up to him. They had a few minutes.

Their senior year was trial and error trying to construct it to what they both wanted. Their classmates took a while coming around to the fact that their relationship was real, and Jensen had stretched the limits of acceptable PDA to prove it to them and to Jared. The girls found them to be too adorable not to believe and soon the authenticity of their relationship became a non-topic. Jensen hated himself that it even had to be questioned. Aside from that, he was still Mr. Popular. There was no escaping that. Danneel's epic meltdown at prom was of Carrie proportions, so instead of vilifying him, people considered his walking away a “boss move.” People still flocked around him, but this time he learned to stop trying to drag Jared into the spotlight like he had last year and instead let his boyfriend bow out when he needed to.

In a move that shocked everyone, especially Jensen, Jared joined the Drama Club, and it wasn't to build sets or help with lighting. Jared had explained that, regardless of Jensen's methods of last year, he had needed that push to open up and make more friends on his own. He didn't want to be a prop in the background anymore. Once he got past his nerves, with the generous help of his boyfriend and a pre-show blowjob in the restroom, he was actually quite good. His Banquo in their winter production of Macbeth received honorable mentions in their school's newspaper. And of course, Jensen was there front and center opening night leading the standing ovation.

But most of the time, it was just the two of them, and that's how they liked it best.

They emerged slowly from the haze of making out to the calls for them from downstairs. Consistent as always, Meg passed by the open door on her way down, not even looking up from her phone.

“They're kissing. **Again**.”

“ **Boys**!” The united shout of both sets of parents was enough to get them to finally spring apart, dewy-eyed and mouths swollen. Sharing a breathless laugh, they raced to fix each other's mussed hair and broke down over the sorry state of Jared's bow tie. Jensen wasn't even aware he'd been trying to get him undressed. They opted to leave it undone for one of their mothers to do since Jensen obviously couldn't be trusted.

Downstairs after Jared's tie was put to rights, they exchanged boutonnieres, because their mothers insisted it was tradition. They didn't know where in prom tradition it dictated getting Tetanus from stabbing yourself with a pin. They posed for enough photos that when honking sounded from outside, Jensen had to lead a blind Jared to the door.

Jensen was happy to say this was a vast improvement over last year.

The only real downside was...

“To the best night of our lives, bitches!” Chad hollered from the sunroof as their limo pulled up front. Down below, Genevieve's giggling could be heard, because for whatever reason she found Chad to be hilarious.

“You think he'll stand up there the whole ride?” Jensen wondered aloud.

“Probably, why?”

“I'm thinking of asking the driver to drive under as many low clearance bridges as possible.”

Jared laughed and kissed him on the cheek. “You're terrible.”

Jensen and Chad's friendship was a contentious one in the sense that Chad was an idiot and Jensen was a priss, but they both loved Jared so they tolerated each other.

Jared tangled his fingers with Jensen's, his nerves almost nowhere to be seen. It took a lot to get here to this night. “You ready to break some records and snag the crown two years in a row?”

Jensen snorted, trying to suppress his smile. “Oh please. That's not gonna happen.”

“Well, you have my vote if...” Jared turned on his heel and started walking them backwards to the limo. His sly grin did things to Jensen. “If you don't make me dance.”

“Mmm, we'll see about that,” Jensen replied fondly, never more in love with the fox-eyed boy with sun burst irises than he was at that moment.

Hand in hand, they crawled into the limo with their friends on their way to “the best night of their lives.” Jensen settled back into the leather with their joined hands resting on his thigh, knowing that wasn't true. They were both attending UT in the fall, Engineering for Jared and Sports Medicine for Jensen. They had their whole future ahead of them, and if Jensen had it his way, they had the rest of their lives to have the best days, nights, anything, and everything together.

I hope you liked the story! Thank you so much to the artist of this incredible artwork, fridayblues. I'm so in awe of the beauty you created from my little story. Your talent is simply beyond.   
Please check out their art post for this fic and give them all the love and adoration they deserve! *hugs hugs hugs*

[To the lovely art!](https://fridayblues.livejournal.com/48461.html)

  
And thank you, thank you to my beta, disneymagic. From a random post in a spn beta community to now, you are a saint for helping me when you had your own projects going on -even a big bang of your own!- with all of the obligations of life on top of that. Your editing work is impeccable. I am so grateful for your hard work and generosity!


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